READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Vol. 1 Issue 4 October 2013 | Page 37

Kobo and Free The Children partner to advance
literacy of Aboriginal youth across Canada
Leader in eReading committed to making reading more accessible, celebrating Aboriginal heritage
Kobo, a global leader in eReading, and Free
The Children, today announced a year-long
partnership focused on supporting literacy
among Aboriginal youth in Canada. Both
organizations share a commitment to making
Reading more accessible and are working
together to support literacy programs in
Aboriginal communities across the country.
Kobo has donated 3,500 of its award-winning
Kobo Touch™ eReaders as well as $100,000 to
develop a program designed to cultivate a love
and passion for reading. The program includes
a speaking tour to educate youth about literacy
in Aboriginal communities and encourage them
to explore their own culture through digital
reading.
"Books not only enrich us individually by
helping us to explore our own ideals and
beliefs, but they also help us to express and
celebrate our culture," said Michael Serbinis,
CEO, Kobo. "At Kobo, we are committed to
getting more people to read more often because
- as booklovers ourselves - we know the impact
reading can have in helping people, families,
and communities develop. Our partnership with
Free The Children is designed to empower
youth across Canada to become active in their
own learning, develop their imaginations, and
explore the world through the written word."
The 25-stop speaking tour, beginning this fall,
will help to educate and engage Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal students on the importance of
education and literacy skills, and its importance
in building strong, empowered communities.
The tour targets youth in grades five to 12,
stopping at schools and Aboriginal
community/friendship centres across Ontario,
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British
Columbia. Students will take part in workshops
to learn about the role literature plays in

storytelling and maintaining a strong cultural
identity. As part of the tour, 3,000 Kobo Touch
eReaders will be donated at each local school
and/or community centre to make reading more
accessible to the youth in these communities.
Each Kobo Touch will be pre-loaded with
books by Aboriginal authors such as Lightning
Rider by Jacqueline Guest, Catching Spring by
Sylvia Olsen, and Him Standing by Richard
Wagamese.
Kobo and Free The Children will also support
Frontier College, Canada's original literacy
organization that delivers literacy programs to
children, youth, and adults in communities
across the country, by providing an additional
500 Kobo Touch eReaders to support existing
programming.
"Literacy is fundamental in any young person's
education," said Marc Kielburger, co-founder,
Free The Children. "We are so thankful for
Kobo's commitment and generous donation to
help us shed light on the importance of
education and literacy, while bringing to life
Aboriginal stories and culture to youth across
Canada, enriching the lives of young people
and helping to preserve a piece of Canada's
history."
About Free The Children
Free The Children is an international charity
and educational partner. Founded in 1995 by
international activist Craig Kielburger, Free The
Children believes in a world where young
people are free to achieve their fullest potential,
and empowers youth to remove barriers that
prevent them from being active local and global
citizens. The organization's domestic
programs—which includes We Day, Free The
Children's signature youth empowerment
event—educate, engage and empower 1.7
million young people across North America, the

UK and around the world to become engaged
global citizens. Its international projects have
brought more than 650 schools and school
rooms to youth and provided clean water and
sanitation, health care and food security to one
million people around the world, freeing
children and their families from the cycle of
poverty.
The organization has received the World's
Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child, the
Human Rights Award from the World
Association of Non-Governmental
Organizations, and has formed successful
partnerships with leading school boards and
Oprah's Angel Network. For more information,
visit www.freethechildren.com.
About Kobo Inc.
Kobo Inc. is one of the world's fastest-growing
eReading services offering 4-million eBooks,
magazines and newspapers to millions of
customers in 190 countries. Believing that
consumers should have the freedom to read any
book on any device, Kobo provides consumers
with a choice when reading. Kobo offer an
eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E
Ink eReaders and Google-Certified Android
tablets to suit any Reader's style including the
award-winning Kobo Touch™, Kobo Mini,
Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura HD, Kobo
Arc, Kobo Arc 7, Kobo Arc 7HD, and Kobo
Arc 10HD. Along with the company's free topranking eReading apps for Apple®,
BlackBerry®, Android®, and Windows®,
Kobo ensures the next great read is just a pageturn away. Headquartered in Toronto and
owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo
eReaders can be found in major retail chains
around the world. For more information, visit
www.kobo.com.
SOURCE Kobo, Inc.