Summit For Readers And Creative Writers To Hold In Enugu—Register

All book lovers are invited to the next edition of the Enugu Reader’s Summit which has been slated to hold on Saturday, 6th October 2018. To register online, fill this form online. Forward all inquiries to: enugureaderssummit@gmail.com or join the growing community of book readers on Facebook.

I think this event is a wonderful one. Writing and reading are often done in isolation, so literary events provide writers and readers the much needed opportunity to meet like minded people. In  the piece below, the writer, Mr Gideon Okeke, explains why the initiative was formed and how they’ve sustained it despite social, cultural and environmental challenges. This article also included testimonials from former participants. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I have.

Amb. Gideon Okeke, the convener of the annual Enugu Readers Summit and the National President of Impact Field Global Youth Initiative has given reasons why his projects won’t stop adding value to the lives of the African youth, despite all the challenges being faced.

For over 2 years, Impact field Global Youth Initiatives has been on its campaign to drive moral change among young people. The organization which has its headquarter in the Enugu State of Nigeria is a Non-Governmental Organization which is geared to raising responsible youths that will cause a drastic positive change in Africa in the nearest future. She achieves these through many conscious and consistent initiatives which include numerous charity outreach projects, leadership programmes, free skill acquisitions training, youth development and youth empowerment meetings, youth and children advocacy, volunteerism, mind empowerment programmes which one of them is the forthcoming Enugu Readers Summit.

According to him, “Enugu Readers’ Summit is the brain-child of ImpactField Global Youth Initiative which was founded on the 12^th of July, 2016 in a classroom at National Grammar School, Nike, Enugu. It is a movement that is geared towards bringing students and youths back to the reading table because it has been proven that men of great worth and influence in the world are built in the reading room. Over the years, since inception, we have been able to reach over 4000 students in and around Enugu and Anambra States through both Enugu and Anambra Readers Summit and our various school tours. We’ve been able to distribute over 2500 books to students, school libraries and organizations’ libraries. Most of these books were donated to us by people who love what we are doing while we paid for some.”

The annual Enugu Readers Summit does not only teach young people how to read books. It is also geared to bringing out the best in the lives of the teenagers and the youths that do attend it. It is a mind activation programme organized for free with support from some of our partners.

This year, Enugu Readers Summit with the theme “SPARKLES OF EXCELLENCE” is planned to help youths and students in and around Enugu State discover how to become excellent in all they do through imbibing and acting upon knowledge for effective and efficient delivery in all their endeavors. It is aimed at achieving the following among its numerous expectations and features:

• To empower young people to cultivate a reading attitude and become excellent in all they do. Hence, the theme.
• Celebrate young people who are affecting the society with little or nothing.
• Empower young people to become the best they are created to be.
• Entertain them through poetic renditions, drama and other literary performances
• Official Launch of our BACK2SCHOOL Project –A Scholarship Scheme Project for the less privileged.
• Essay Competition for Secondary School Students and Prize Giving/Awards

 TESTIMONIALS FROM PARTICIPANTS OF THE ENUGU READERS SUMMIT 2017

Seeing Spring Of Life winning most of the prizes, (although I didn’t participate in the competition), I was really challenged to read harder. The man who spoke many languages (though I can’t remember his name) really challenged me because I was surprised that only one person could speak so many languages and I vowed to learn as many languages as possible. All those young poets really inspired me too. In short, the program was wonderful and inspiring too.

– Kilani Victoria, Queens’ School Enugu

The Enugu Readers Summit which held on the 30th of Sept., 2017 has totally changed my life positively, as the matter of fact. It was very interesting because I was touched by the appearance. It also taught me that a reader today is equal to a leader tomorrow. There were so many gifts and prizes given to the competitors, it also touched my life thereby encouraging me to do more.

Nwatu Daniel, National Grammar School Enugu

The National President, in his interview with the impact voice, revealed that one reason why he will not give up on this project is that this programme is Yielding results. “Anything you do that does not produce desired results is not worth doing. The results we have seen in the lives of the participants of the Enugu Readers Summit and Anambra Readers Summit is quite interesting. We have gotten their messages. I have spoken with some of them and I am glad that they are already out to do things for their society as a result of the Enugu Readers Summit. I know that very soon, we shall together build a better Africa. The struggle will never be in vain.”

He also called for support and partnership from both National and International bodies, governmental and Non Governmental Organizations, firms and industries and kind-hearted individuals to support this works and find a way of bringing it to their states and countries. In his words “the Impact field project is too enormous. It is not what an individual can achieve in a space of time. Hence, we call on individuals, organizations and bodies to come and join this. Let us make it bigger. We can as well bring it to your city.”