Lit Fest 2017: How to Become a Parent Champion!

With hundreds of author sessions, school activities and workshops at this year’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, you might assume that every school in the UAE would be ‘plugged-in’ to the Festival’s goings-on, but then you’d be wrong!

In a bid to reach out and engage with more schools in 2017, the Festival has launched one of its most inventive initiatives yet, the Festival’s ‘Parent Champions.’

This dedicated group of mums; some authors themselves, several already parents of ‘Student Champions' and all certainly BIG fans of the Festival and committed to getting more children involved.

Festival organisers hope the new Parent Champions will act as intermediaries between their schools and the Festival itself, 'feeding' information directly to the school on the events, activities, workshops and sessions happening at this year’s event.

To find out more, we spoke to Imran Rizvi, Parent Champion at the Winchester School, Jebel Ali, Pippa LeBlanc- Parent Champion at JESS Jumeirah and local author- Rachel Hamilton Parent Champion at Nord Anglia, to find out more...

What inspired you to become an Emirates Airline Festival of Literature- Parent Champion?

Imran: My motivation was to supplement the efforts of my little girl who is an avid book lover. I know that if we work together, we can really reach out to a bigger number of students and their parents.

Pippa: We have been attending the festival every year except the first one. My two children have grown up with it and it is the highlight of our families year. It's a fantastic family bonding experience; it is just a given that my kids will miss school to attend. Last year my son even forego a Scout Camp in Oman because he couldn't comprehend missing out.

I have been deeply upset over the years that the Festival has not been that well attended by my daughter or son's peers. There are a few regulars but the number of children attending from our school has been very limited. So this year we were delighted to be given an opportunity to get more families involved.  

Rachel: My motivation to be Lit-Fest champion is that I believe it's one of the most inspiring and empowering events in the region and I want to help make everyone aware of it, so they get the opportunity to attend and get as much from it as much as I do. I still remember attending my first festival when I moved to Dubai, ten years ago, and it made me fall head over heels in love with my new home.

What would you say are the benefits of becoming a Festival Parent Champion?

Rachel: I am already part of the festival as an author so I don't receive many extra practical benefits, but I love the feeling that I'm helping spread the word about everything the Lit Fest has to offer. Plus, it's fun to meet other parents who are as evangelical about it as I am, and who can resist a team that bake cakes for meetings? I think it's wonderful for my kids' school to be part of it as there are so many opportunities for students - entering art and writing competitions, performing in fringe events, and meeting their favourite authors. 

If you would like to become a Festival Parent Champion at your school, please call:  +971 4 355 9844

What activities have you undertaken so far, in your capacity as champ?

Imran: Together with the Teacher champion of our school,  Mishal and I have promoted the " Oxford Press Story Writing Competition", " Readers Cup", " At the Top- story telling competition" and now we are working together on a play which we would be presenting during the Fringe festival. We have a dedicated display board at the school to keep the school community updated about the upcoming EAFOL initiatives.  

Pippa: We are in the final planning stages of a top secret event for the school. Will be able to share soon but i can say that it will definitely get the parent's attention and hopefully drive up ticket sales.

Rachel: As Lit-Fest Champion I've spoken to my school about the events on offer and the opportunities for us to be involved. I have encouraged kids to enter competitions and to review their favourite Lit-Fest authors' books, and we'll be running a school assembly in the next few weeks to keep everyone updated and share more news about the upcoming events. I also make sure I mention the lit fest at every author visit I do to other schools.

 What do you expect to be doing during the festival?

Pippa: I hope to be involved in the Education day programme, always exciting to see authors interacting with young readers and bringing their books to life. I also hope to be on hand to assist Jess parents new to the Festival... it will be fun to help the navigate the Festival space and do whatever it takes to spread the joy. 

Rachel: During the Festival I'll be representing OUP in the short story winners' prize giving presentation. I will be running my own event to launch my third 'Unicorn in New York' book, which should be lots of fun. I'm part of a Montegrappa Award panel discussion, sharing our secrets to getting published, and I will also be moderating sessions for two writers I particularly admire - Lucy Strange and Nadiya Hussain. On top of that I'll also be talking about Trends in Children's Publishing at the Publishers' Conference which is running simultaneously. So, I'll be busy!

What would you say to other parents, thinking they might like to become their school's resident Champion?

Rachel: To other parents who are considering becoming a Lit-Fest Champion, I would say DO IT. It's a fabulous way to get involved in a truly life-changing festival.

If you would like to represent your child's school as a Parent Champion email Emirates Airline Festival of Literature here and let them know:

 Which school you would like to represent

The reason why you want to be a Parent Champion

And, your ideas on how to engage students and their families at your school in Festival related activities