Third Reading Festival celebrates joy of reading with students, families and authors

GREAT BAY--The third edition of the Reading Festival: St. Maarten Edition brought together students, educators, authors, families and community partners for two days of activities aimed at strengthening literacy and showing young people that reading can be engaging, creative and enjoyable.

The festival, held September 25 and 26, was organized by Stichting Biblionef Netherlands in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, the Library of St. Maarten, Help Our Children Foundation and the University of St. Martin.

Opening the festival, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs welcomed students and participants and highlighted the importance of reading in opening opportunities for young people.

Gumbs said reading was close to her heart because it opens doors, develops the imagination and helps create pathways for young people to build successful futures. She encouraged students to enjoy the books and activities available during the festival while also using reading as a way to discover and strengthen their own voices.

Now in its third year, the Reading Festival continued to build on its objective of improving reading habits among children, youth and young adults while presenting literacy as something that could be enjoyed rather than treated only as an academic requirement.

This year’s festival placed particular focus on Form 1 and Form 2 students from secondary schools across St. Maarten.

On Friday, September 25, Form 1 students participated in activities at the University of St. Martin, while Form 2 students remained at their respective schools, where visiting authors conducted presentations and shared their work directly with students.

Organizers reported that close to 600 students participated in activities during the school component and the opening of the family festival.

The program included author visits, storytelling, reading activities, educational games, painting, creative workshops and interactive sessions designed to help students discover different ways of engaging with books and learning.

A steel pan workshop added a musical component to the festival, while technology-based activities introduced students to artificial intelligence and other interactive learning experiences. Organizers also incorporated new activities intended to make reading more creative and accessible to children with different interests.

Authors from the Netherlands, Bonaire and Curaçao joined local writers as part of a literacy exchange, visiting secondary schools and interacting with students. Organizers said the exchanges provided students with an opportunity to meet writers, hear about their work and gain a better understanding of the creative process behind books and storytelling.

The festival continued on Saturday, September 26, with a family-oriented day at USM, opening the activities to primary and secondary school students, parents, teachers and members of the wider community.

The family day featured storytelling, author readings, educational games, creative workshops, steel pan activities and technology-based experiences, with organizers encouraging parents to participate alongside their children.

Festival organizers said the theme, “The Joy of Reading,” reflected the central purpose of the initiative, to demonstrate that reading could be fun while at the same time strengthening literacy, communication and learning.

More than 2,500 new books, educational materials and language games were prepared for distribution to schools and children across St. Maarten as part of the initiative. Materials used during the festival were also expected to remain available through the Library of St. Maarten, extending the benefits of the event beyond the two festival days.

Organizers described the third edition as the result of months of collaboration among the participating organizations and said feedback from students, schools, authors and other participants had been positive.

The festival also highlighted the importance of partnerships in supporting literacy programs. Representatives involved in the organization said continued support from local businesses and community partners would be important to sustaining and expanding the initiative in the years ahead.

Help Our Children Foundation also used the occasion to highlight its broader work supporting children and families facing financial challenges, including assistance with school-related expenses and breakfast programs.

Organizers said literacy remained central to the development of young people, as strong reading skills provide children with tools that support education, communication, critical thinking and their ability to participate fully in society.

With its third edition completed, the Reading Festival partners expressed hope that the program would continue to grow, introduce new activities and reach even more students and families in future years.

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