Cultural centers of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development organized more than 20 cultural events as part of its participation in the activities of the month of reading. The events ranged between reading workshops, discovering creative talents of students, training on the use e-reading, specialized seminars about reading and much more programs and events such as storytelling, Arabic language and reading skills, the young reader, knowledge makers, my family reads, read about my nation, reading for life. On his part, Yasser Al Gergawi, Director of Cultural Events and Cultural Centers at the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, assured that the Ministry focused on turning its cultural centers into cultural and knowledge hubs especially in the month of reading . He further stressed that currently more than 160 cultural, artistic and reading events are being implemented during this month in all centers under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development. Al Gergawi further explained that the door is always open to all segments of society, especially children and school and university students to participate in all events and benefit from the specialized seminars and workshops organized by cultural centers leading to the discovery and development of their literary and artistic talents. He further praised the cooperation of school districts and local schools and institutions to deliver events and activities of the Month of Reading to the largest possible segment of the UAE society. The Ministry’s Cultural Center in the Western Region organized the “Creative writing” workshop were participants were practically trained on the process of creative story writing. On a related note, the Dibba Fujairah Cultural Center organized the event “My Happiness in Reading” in the presence of more than 100 children who took part in various programs and competitions such as storytelling workshops, the little reader and read and play. On the other hand, Umm Al Quwain Cultural center organized a panel discussion entitled "Reading is a Nation’s Light, Present and Future" presented by the novelist Bassema Younis. It focused on the importance of reading, which is the gateway to various sciences and diverse knowledge. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Cultural Center organized a workshop about "E- Reading". The workshop discussed the importance of reading and reviewed the techniques of E-reading and its advantages. The Abu Dhabi cultural center also organized the event “Read and Play” to develop interactive reading skills among children in the presence of more than 50 children at the Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi. On the other hand the cultural center in Dibba Al Fujairah organized the workshop ”My Experience with Reading” by the writer Fatima Al Maamari who talked about her passion of reading which lead her to become a writer. On a related note, the Cultural Centre in Masafi organized a cultural competition under the title “A Story in a Picture” in cooperation with the Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi and the Ministry of Education. Masafi Cultural Centre also organized a story telling session for school students entitled “Trouble Makers” with the help of the cartoon characters Hamad and Mira. The story taught children lessons about time management including playing and reading, cleanliness and other useful things. Moreover, the Masafi Cultural Center also organized a lecture entitled “ My Language is My Identity” for school students by the Trainer Salma Al Hafeiti. She spoke about the importance of language in enriching the human civilization and cultural exchange. Ras Al Khaimah Cultural Centre organized the event “Reading is Life” in the presence of more than 80 students. The event focused on the development of the habit of reading among young children by reading children stories that develop imagination and carries multiple messages reinforcing children’s sense of belonging and pride in their identity. Ajman Cultural Centre in cooperation with Ajman Educational Zone organized “Knowledge on the Go” in the Flag Park in Ajman. Knowledge on the Go includes a variety of cultural programs including entertainment, games, storytelling, painting, competitions, prizes and the Bus studio. The event was attended by 120 school students from Ajman and aims to effectively spread cultural awareness, promote reading and support educational institutions by providing all necessary resources to spread the reading habit among students.