Thank you for joining us for today's Spotlight program. I'm Rebekah Schipper. And I'm Sara DeKoster. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
It is early morning in Mexico City. Many people are on their way to work. The streets are busy with people. The underground transport systems are busy too. And, the buses are even busier.
It is a normal morning. But, there is something strange about the people riding on the subway and the buses. Their noses are buried in books! Everyone, from young people to old people, is reading!
On today's Spotlight we will describe Mexico City's new program. Mexico City officials are lending books to people on subways and buses. They hope the books will encourage people to support Mexican culture. They also hope the books will help to reduce crime. Mexico City's new program is based on trust. Mexico's official literacy rate is ninety percent. That means that ninety percent of the people can read. However, millions of those people cannot read very well. And, ten percent of the population still cannot read at all.
In Mexico public libraries, or places to borrow books, are very rare. And buying books in Mexico can cost a lot of money. Many people do not want to spend the money to buy a book. Reading new and interesting books in Mexico can be difficult.
But Mexican officials would like to change this. They would like to make it easier for people to read. They would like to make books easier for people to get. So, they have created a new program. The program is called "For a Quick Read on the Metro." The Metro is the Mexican mass transport system.
The idea is to offer free books for people to read. Mexican officials are lending books to the people using the Metro and buses. They pass out the books at about twenty-four different stations around the city. When people get on the Metro they can choose a book. While they are riding they may read the book. And when they get off the Metro they must return the book.
The books all have different subjects. There are books with mysteries, love stories, drama, science fiction, and poems. Books for every person!
There is even a special series of books. People wrote this series of books just for the Metro program. There are many short stories in each book. Each story can be read in ten to fifteen minutes. Just short enough to start, finish, and enjoy while riding the Metro!
All the books in the series are written by famous Mexicans. Every two months there is a new book in the series. Mexican officials hope that by reading the series people will learn about Mexican writers. They hope that people will support books written by Mexicans. They believe it is good to support their own Mexican culture.
Television stations want to inform people about the new book program. They show people borrowing books on the television. People who watch the television learn about the program. And, they are starting to borrow books when they use the Metro.
So far the program is very popular. Here are a few comments from people involved in the program. Nicolas Diaz is thirty-four. He only travels seven minutes to work. But he still borrows books to read. He said "It is wonderful. I only got a chance to read a little because I was not on the Metro for that long. But I am returning the book so someone else can have a chance." Eduardo Jorge Ortega is twenty-two years old. He shared a book with his girlfriend, Antonia. He admitted that he had only read three books in the year of two thousand three. His girlfriend had only read one. Eduardo said that he will read more books this year by being involved in the new book lending program.
Aguilar is thirty-seven years old. He was on his way to his job. He said, "I love this idea. We do not have a lot of readers in Mexico, and if we had more we would have fewer social problems." This is the hope of Mexican officials. They hope that the "For a Quick Read on the Metro" program will reduce crime on the transport systems. Mariano Cruz organized the book lending program. He says that there is a problem with stealing and bad sexual touching on the Metro. In fact, the Metro had to create separate Metro cars for men and women. But stealing is still a problem.
Mariano hopes that the program will cut down on crime. He says, "We hope this can change attitudes and help people get along better. We want the program to elevate and promote Mexican culture." One Metro worker believes that the program is working. He thinks that there is less crime. And he says that his job is now easier. He said, "a€¦For example some young punks that used to come down to cause troublea€¦but now I have seen them grab a book and wham! They are quieting down. This is changing the people." But some people do not believe the program is working. Another worker says that crime is still a problem on the Metro. This worker said that the people who read on the Metro do not watch their things very carefully. So, their things become very easy to steal. He says that people are still being robbed.
The "For a Quick Read on the Metro" program is a program based on trust. And many people like this idea. Many passengers said that they could not remember the last time anybody gave away anything for free. The passengers enjoy being trusted to return the books they borrow. And the facts show that so far people have returned seventy percent of the books.
Some of the books have even come back with special covers. People have made these special covers to protect the books. They make the covers in their own homes. These people care that the books stay in good condition and are protected.
"For a Quick Read on the Metro" is a good program. But, it is a program that can only work if people return the books. It is a program that can only work if people work together. It is a program based on trust. And trust is important for any community.
The writer and producer of today's program was Rebekah Schipper. Computer users can hear Spotlight programs on our website at www.radio.English.net. This program is called Lending Books We love to hear comments and questions from our listeners. Do you think that trust is important to a community? Please write and tell us why. You can email us. Our email address is radio@english.net. Goodbye!
