Laysh

Alan Bennett, the screenwriter and the man who read out the adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland to me when I was all of seven, once spoke about why reading is so unlike anything else in wide world. He elaborates “The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.” 

How many times have you felt this feeling of transcendence, when you are here and there at the same time? That, is the magic of reading.

Nowadays, it feels as though reading has been reduced to status updates on popular networking sites. People “don’t have the time”, and are busy on their (not-so)smartphone; a device that sadly doesn’t facilitate reading like it should.

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These are just some of the thoughts that Uzair had in mind before embarking on Laysh,  an initiative which picks up one of world’s oldest hobbies and packs it with a fresh approach.

So what is Laysh all about? To tell us more, we caught up with Uzair Mohammed, chief curator of TedxYouth@Doha and one of the active minds behind this project. 

Here’s what he had to say:

Q: Laysh as an initiative, how did it all begin?

TEDxYD and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Project were hoping to work together ever since the first edition of TEDxYouth@Doha. When we finally did sit down and brainstorm ideas of launching a project, one of the first ideas that came up, turned out to be (what is now known as) Laysh.

Q: What do you aim to achieve from this project?

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Reading is obviously a critical element of any child's education. The challenge is to cultivate it within young people as a passion rather than what it is seen as today (in Qatar, at least) by youth, i.e. a chore.

By hearing perspectives from all sides of the debate, from young and old, we hope to create a maelstrom of ideas, thoughts, and perspectives on the positives and ills of reading- hoping that in the end, we are able to address youth with these messages. 

Q: Why did you pick reading over other popular interests?

TEDxYouth@Doha focuses on developing critical skills within youth- public speaking, writing, speaking, and reading. We consider these skills a bedrock for youth development. Combine TEDxYouth@Doha's approach with the aspirations of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing in Qatar, and reading was a natural topic for us to engage over. 

Q: What has the response been so far?

The response has been excellent, actually. We have had tremendous interest from youth community leaders many of whom have chosen to join us as Laysh mentors and record videos for the campaign. Additionally, we have schools taking part in the project and we expect lots of entries to start pouring in quite soon. 

Q: Why a video about reading instead of a write up about reading?

I think that we have to start engaging youth where they live and breathe. Making a video is simple, it doesn't require much prep, you don't have to be worried about spelling mistakes or that your composition skills may not be up to par. In making a video, you can express yourself in any way you wish. If you wish to shoot or direct a film instead, someone can do that. If someone does not want to appear on video, they can choose not to. If someone wants to create a beautiful piece of art, they can do that, and someone else like me who has no video editing skills whatsoever can also just turn their smartphone around and record their thoughts for 2mins. Videos are also much easier to share through Facebook and Twitter. Making a video today is accessible, easy, and fun. That answers the video part of your question.

The other side of it is that youth aren't writing too much either. That is just as hard a reality as the stats on reading. We chose to address reading this time. 

Q: To the founders of the idea: What were the last three books you read and why did it make you feel like reading is essential enough to make it a cause?

Lana Shamma - Acting Director of Writing & Development - Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing: The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria; A Country Called Amreeka by Alia Malek; and Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami.

As cheesy as it may sound I think that reading is a formative part of my life. The books I read growing up helped me create a sense of who I am, who I want to be, and where I want to go. To this day, I can fully immerse myself in a book and not notice what's going on around me. I hope that this generation of kids is able to activate their imaginations in the same way.

Uzair Mohammad - Chief Curator, TEDxYouth@Doha: I have recently read/am reading: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; A History of Iniquity by Jorge Luis Borges; and Enter Phlebas by Iain M. Banks. Whether these books sparked a cause is putting too much pressure on too few books. I think though that reading allows us to imagine a world through other voices, in detail. Rarely do we get a view of someone else's life/ideas/thoughts in such depth- this is true for fiction, non-fiction, educational, and art books. These varied voices, ideas, words, and phrases allow our own voice to develop- leading us towards better expression of our own thoughts/ideas/life- whatever shape that expression takes. That's my take on it, at least.

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Reading is a boon we take for granted and we are absolutely thrilled to see refreshing projects like Laysh in Qatar!

Uploading a Laysh video is very simple. All you have to do is visit the website, fill in details and add files. We strongly recommend you do!

For more information about the project and to know how to get involved you can visit their page here: http://laysh.org