Learn to read - understand language

Reading mentors promote language skills in school children

The association MENTOR -Die Leselernhelfer Osnabrück e.V. is an initiative of volunteers to promote reading and language skills in school children. It has been in existence for almost 10 years. MENTOR currently has 270 volunteers working at 34 schools, 18 of which are in Osnabrück, 15 in the district of Osnabrück and one school in NRW. Reading mentors promote the reading and language skills of students at elementary and secondary schools.

The school suggests students who have difficulty reading and are unable to understand the texts. This is where reading mentors come in. They clarify unknown terms and work through the text together with the child. The intensive 1:1 supervision in particular usually results in a trusting relationship with an adult. This is something that the children often particularly need. Books, learning games, but also games are used for this purpose. The interaction of these methods gives the children better access to texts.

In order for the reading mentors to be able to support the children in the best possible way, introductory events and further training are held. First and foremost, mentors must enjoy working with children to help them enjoy reading and language. In this way, the children gain more self-confidence. In order to expand the group of sponsored children to include daycare center children, Mentor launched its first KiTa project in August 2017. Ideally, a child supported there should continue to be mentored by Mentor at the elementary school.

For more information about MENTOR - Die Leselernhelfer Osnabrück e.V., visit the website at www.mentor-osnabrueck.de.