Mayor Mike Josef joins the nationwide Read Aloud Day and is a guest at the Günderrode School. His listeners from class 4d are looking forward to hearing the story of "Es klopft bei Wanja in der Nacht". It is a tale of generosity, tolerance and overcoming prejudices.
The motto of this year's campaign day is "Reading aloud creates a future". A fitting motto, according to Josef, because: "Good reading skills facilitate access to education, reading aloud lays the first foundations for reading and thus also for access to education. This is why reading is so important for children's development," says Josef, explaining his commitment. "Reading aloud also strengthens empathy, offers insights into other worlds, stimulates the imagination and also promotes interaction with others. In short: reading aloud lays the foundation for a successful future and an understanding relationship with others."
The Lord Mayor is supported in his reading session by the Frankfurt Reading Mentors. The association currently has almost 400 reading mentors at 65 primary and special schools in almost all districts of Frankfurt. Günderrode School was one of the first schools to join. Even today, volunteer reading mentors regularly come to the school to read with children who have special needs. Barbara Scior and Stefan Pelgrim are among them: "A command of written and spoken German is a key skill for self-confident and self-determined learning, living and working. As Frankfurt reading mentors, we want to impart this competence in order to make children strong."
On the initiative of Die ZEIT, Stiftung Lesen and Deutsche Bahn Stiftung, Reading Aloud Day takes place once a year and helps to draw attention to the reading skills of children and young people. "The children who were able to listen to the Lord Mayor today will have a completely different connection to reading in the future. It was a real motivational boost for them," says Birgit Kron, principal of Günderrode School, enthusiastically.
