On May 3, 2023, at the Waar General Library and Café, and in the presence of Ms. Diman Jacksi, a faculty member of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and Niyan Abduljabar, the representative of the language center, Book Day Event was hosted for the 1st year students at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

For the successful conduction of the event, the students were asked to bring any book of their choice, then exchange it with their friends and read it within a few weeks. After reading the book, the students were asked to reflect on the books they read and share their beneficial experiences of reading the books.

This activity allowed the students to share their favorite books with their classmates and talk about their characters and stories.

The advantage of the activity was that the participants who read just one book got an overview of various other books that their friends read and gave a presentation on in a very short time.

The mission of the World Book Day activity is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every student the opportunity to have a book of their own, many of them for the first time. Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background, or their income. We want to see more students, particularly those from humanities departments, acquire a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them by supporting such a variety of activities.

Basically, the overall view of this event for English Language Learners and Civil and Environmental Engineering students is for seeking to raise awareness about the benefits of reading books. This activity aims to highlight the power of books and their ability to impart knowledge and values to readers. It reinforces the idea that books serve as windows into different worlds, both fictional and non-fictional. Such an event encourages students to understand the value of books and to read more. More specific objectives have been set out to the students as follows:

1. To let the students be friendly with the reading books.
2. Develop the habit of reading.
3. Help the students improve their vocabularies, develop their reading skills, and encourage them to speak in the English language.
4. Gain a variety of stories and facts with the help of their friends.
5. Boost their interest in topics.

Incorporating feedback from students, the team has created a collection of tools to assist with running a Book Choice event, in addition to getting a coffee on World Book Day. This practice also encourages students to step outside the typical classroom environment, which helps them feel more at ease, relaxed, and joyful while participating in the activity.

It is worth mentioning that the Academic English Committee is planning to conduct such an event during the next academic year, which would include all the academic departments at the University of Zakho.