IBBY-Yamada 2009: Venezuela

The On-line M.A. on Books and Literature for Children and Young People is run as a joint course by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), Banco del Libro (Venezuela), Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruiperez (Spain), and Fundación SM (Spain) and was first launched in 2006.  The alumni of this M.A. include students from Latin American, Europe, and the United States.  The faculty members are equally international and multicultural.

The M.A.’s courses aim at promoting cultural interchange between Spanish-speaking countries by encouraging alumni and faculty to exchange experiences in the field of children’s books and their promotion.  Though conceived as an on-line course, students may choose to attend a week of face-to-face classes in Caracas or Barcelona.  The programme is organized in way in which every student can focus on one or more of the suggested fields of inquiry, these are: literary theory as applied to children’s literature; the use of books in school environments; reading promotion; and, publishing. 

IBBY Venezuela nominated Freddy Goncalves Da Silva for the 2009 scholarship.  He graduated in Arts and Letters from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and has attended workshops in writing, humorous writing and seminars online from Banco del Libro on promotion strategies, criticism and books for children, obtaining the degree of Reading Promoter.   See the following report submitted by Freddy Goncalves Da Silva.