"Youth Reads"/ Pogradec's youth bring literature to the city through QR codes

2026-04-24 15:47:00, Qyteti im CNA

On International Book Day, the youth of Pogradec have chosen a different way to promote reading and break the stereotype that youth do not read. Under the motto “Youth Reads”, the city’s Youth Council has organized an awareness campaign that brings Pogradec literature closer to citizens. The representative of the Youth Council, Dorian Leka, states that this initiative comes with new forms every year, while this time the focus is on the active involvement of young people and the promotion of local authors.

"On the occasion of International Book Day, "Youth Reads" is a motto of the activity undertaken by the Pogradec Youth Council. On this date, which is an international date and celebrates the desire, the love that we should have to read books, for the authors who write, we as a youth council develop it every year in a different form. This year the young people wanted there to be an awareness campaign, but also to break the stereotype that young people do not read. It is not true, at least the young people who are in Pogradec read", said Leka.

Through this initiative, young people have selected 10 Pogradec poets, whose works they have recited and made accessible to the public through QR codes. These codes have been placed in 10 frequented points of the city, thus creating a literary itinerary open to anyone. Citizens, tourists and young people themselves can stop at these stations, scan the codes and listen to interpretations of the poems, turning the city into an interactive cultural space.

"Through this campaign, young people have brought an interesting model by conveying Pogradec literature, in their original recitations. There are 10 poets selected by the young people themselves, recited and uploaded to a link, placed with a QR code, they will be in 10 literary stations in the city and anyone who passes by, a resident, a tourist, but also the young people themselves because stations frequented by citizens have been chosen, can scan the QR Code and listen to the reading of poems by the young people ," he said.

This initiative aims not only to promote a love of books, but also to increase attention to local authors, who, according to young people, deserve more space in the educational system. Through this activity, the Youth Council of Pogradec conveys a clear message: young people read and are willing to promote the literary values ??of their city, bringing them closer to the community in contemporary ways.

"We think this is an interesting initiative, we think it will instill in young people even more the desire for literature, especially that of Pogradec, and we hope that it will serve as an appeal to educational decision-making institutions that perhaps the moment is right. Since we have several poets, writers who are well-known from the Pogradec area, why not include them in the educational curricula, at least in the subject of literature, in secondary and higher education. It would be very nice," said the representative of the Youth Council.

At a time when technology is often seen as a distraction from books, the youth of Pogradec are proving the opposite, using it as a bridge between readers and literature. Such initiatives not only breathe new life into book promotion, but also show that culture can be conveyed in creative ways, keeping it alive and close to the community. /CNA