One of One has announced a cultural partnership with iRead, a platform dedicated to promoting reading and knowledge across the Arab region. The collaboration aims to foster reading habits, improve focus and critical thinking in an era dominated by digital distractions, and create opportunities for dialogue and cultural engagement.
The partnership began with a discussion session titled “How to Regain Our Ability to Read, Focus, and Think Deeply in the Age of Digital Distraction,” featuring novelist Ahmed Mourad. The session explored the effects of excessive smartphone usage on attention and cognitive skills, highlighting reading as a tool to strengthen focus and awareness.
As part of the initiative, One of One provided iRead platform subscriptions to Al-Nas Hospital, allowing patients and medical staff to access educational and cultural content.
The signing ceremony, held at the Town Hall of the Bridges project in Sheikh Zayed, brought together representatives from One of One and iRead, alongside public figures, publishers and cultural professionals, including Ambassador Diaa Hamad and writer-producer Hisham Soliman. The event underscored the importance of integrating reading into daily life.
Engy El-Sabban, Co-founder of iRead, said the partnership aligns with the platform’s broader mission to make reading a sustainable habit and strengthen cultural awareness. She highlighted the initiative’s focus on creating meaningful experiences with books, rather than simply increasing access, through interactive events with authors and content creators.
Ahmed Mourad emphasised the importance of cultivating regular reading practices in today’s fast-paced digital environment, describing the partnership as a means to combine human development with cultural engagement.
The collaboration reflects One of One’s strategy of embedding cultural and educational initiatives within its wider community activities, aiming to provide spaces that support learning, reflection, and critical thinking alongside its urban development projects.
