This year, the cultural summer is in full swing in campsites. Among the many artistic and cultural actions offered to holidaymakers, initiatives are deployed in these places to promote access to the book and reading, from an early age. Entertainment, workshops with actors or storytellers are organized throughout the summer season.
This is one of the ambitions that this year was set this year, in partnership with associations that act in favor of reading. Several actions are thus implemented everywhere in France. In Ile-de-France, the youth book promotion center (CPLJ) coordinates the creation of small libraries and the organization of workshops. In addition, “Le Livrodrome”, a mobile literary amusement park, settled in a campsite in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. “The Stories Lab” offers, in New Aquitaine, reading and writing workshops led by professionals.
In Ile-de-France, the Salon of Book and Youth Press in Seine-Saint-Denis intervenes, with the support of Drac Ile-de-France, within the campsites of three departments (77-91-93). Eleven partner campsites are thus equipped with literary kits and 5 campsites benefit from a reading space. Is it through the operation “Read at the campsite?” It is trying! », Redesigned animations and scenographies to adapt to the places that the book comes to meet an audience of all ages, family and coming from all walks of life. Pascaline Mangin, head of the public center and mediations within the association, agreed to return to the implementation of this system within campsites in the region.
Why do campsites represent a place of choice for reading?
When the Ministry of Culture launched the cultural summer site in campsites, it immediately interested us because it is a new field of exploration and action of democratization of reading. The motto of our association is the best of children’s literature for all audiences. It immediately resonated. We have a large number of actions to democratize reading, with the idea of going to all audiences, during the time of the holidays, which seems to us for an interesting time. For children and their families, it is a period that opens with a little more availability to share a relationship with the book which can be more diverse than during the year. So it is obvious that campsites are interesting places to explore. With 25 million annual customers, it is the most popular tourist mode of the French public. It is also a place at the crossroads and outside the traditional circuits of the book with fairly mixed audiences.
How was the partnership with the FNHPA network and the Ministry of Culture carried out?
It is an action that we created jointly with the Ministry of Culture through the DRAC Ile-de-France as well as at the national level with the National Federation of Outdoor Hotel (FNHPA). We are present in eleven campsites. We already had a job with the DRAC Ile-de-France in libraries which aims to reach the audiences most distant from reading, with fun proposals during the summer. We work a lot on this question of the game as a path to reading. When this question of the new campsite territory was asked, which seemed quite obvious to us was to approach it with the same methodology deployed with other typologies of public and action. It is important that the public and campsite professionals have access to quality artistic content. To ensure that these contents arrive at all audiences, including those who are not necessarily familiar with reading or with children’s literature, it was important to offer professional support in campsites, both with training times and designing a fairly easy to implement mediation. We also try to make the link with local territories. For example, we have worked on a cartography that lists libraries and bookstores closest to campsites.
How were the campsites in campsites thought to welcome reading entertainment?
Reading spaces have been installed near play areas or activities that were already suitable to promote traffic between the different mediation proposals. It is also a question of perpetuating these spaces over time. Some campsites have been chosen experimentally to install a reading space that is intended to stay this summer, but also for several years. We thought of a staging, a scenography of the works in the particular context of campsite and outdoor. So, it is a small library that can be used at the same time, as at the Nemours campsite (77), in a small child chalet; And outside with the installation of reading planters, diverted to be transformed into libraries that can be moved. Another example, at the Le Parc du Gué campsite near Fontainebleau (77), the reading space was installed by the pool. It is a campsite that welcomes many families, children and adolescents. Thus, each campsite appropriates these spaces and makes the link with its own activities.
What are the entertainment offered to promote the reading of the youngest in campsites?
There is not only one path to go to reading. When we were told about campsites, we tried to think about interesting content to share to promote the link between young people and adults, children and parents. We wondered about another way of exploring the relationship to reading and children’s literature in this holiday period. Regarding artistic content, it is centered around four artists and around the theme of “animal charivari” which echoes empathy and this idea of slipping into the skin of another. We have ordered visuals to four illustrators. In addition, there is mediation work with a sheet to explain how we can, with a small group, make a reading parade for example. A digital component has also been made, with a series of videos called “who reads, sleeps”. An actress or an actor, from an album chosen, bed to one or more children in the video.
What can campsite can generate in young people?
The important thing is the question of equal access to diversified quality works. Then the public is making their way, but there is a commitment to ensure that books reach them. Campsites drop the brakes of social intimidation that the book can arouse. Being in a place that is not traditionally dedicated to literary activities, with artistic tools that have been designed to be attractive and very easy to access barriers. It is also a joyful activity that can be shared, hence this slogan ” Read at the campsite? It is trying! “, Which is a fairly transparent play on words, but which was also a way of bringing reading back to a fun vision and accessible to everyone, from an early age.
