Project 1: Spielsprachschule offers free English lessons for children in co-operation with the Arche Hellersdorf:
Launched by Mr Siggelknow, the Arche in Hellersdorf is well established and known by many Berliners. The Arche is known as a place where disadvantaged children are given free warm meals. However the Arche offers so much more! Children can get help with their homework and recreational activities are offered to get the kids off the streets and give them a sense of confidence. This project is solely financed through donations.
At Spielsprachschule we wanted to contribute towards such an important cause and we were very impressed by the social commitment of the Arche. We suggested that we offer free English lessons as part of their recreational activities in the afternoons. The Arche enthusiastically accepted our offer. They were given a choice of languages and they chose English. A great choice in our opinion!
Since early November 2012 we have been successfully running an English course in the Arche and it is wonderful to see the children’s enthusiasm. According to our English Instructor Lydia "The kids are just great! They are easy to inspire and very motivated. They want to learn and play – definitely my favourite course".
We hope to give these kids not only a passion for learning languages but also a foundation for developing their learning skills. By giving them these skills we aim to help these kids continue to learn and studying even under difficult circumstances. In doing this we hope to motivate the kids to better themselves. By providing a foreign language we will be teaching kids about another culture and therefore help expand their horizons.
We know how important languages are today and we are happy that we are able to give the children in the Arche a helping hand - because every great journey begins with the first step!
Projekt 2: Early German-language education of children with migrant backgrounds in cooperation with the Institute of Economic Education of the Westphalian Wilhelms- University of Münster:
Apart from our customary offers of preschool language teaching we have also been actively involved in the field of early German-language education of children with migrant backgrounds since the beginning of 2005. Thus, we at first supported ten children of a kindergarten in Berlin-Neukölln, an area in the focus of public attention, and helped these children learn German before the start of school. In the meantime this involvement has been expanded to approximately 80 children in seven kindergartens. The question of equal opportunities is decided at a very early stage in life, namely then when the foundations for later learning abilities and self-organisation have been laid. Children who have within the first six years of their life benefited from good parental or institutional support will in later years be significantly better achievers in school and profession, be less involved in crime and earn higher incomes. Among the most important abilities in this context is language competence.
The aim is therefore not only to help children of foreigners to learn the German language and thereby to facilitate their later school entry but also to enable them to become culturally sensitive enough to prevent later conflicts.
In order to document the results in the long term and to analyze them scientifically, we are cooperating with the Institute of Economic Education of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster. It is our aim to take up any problems concerning educational policies that may arise and to develop possible solutions in order to produce a more efficient early German-language education in areas focussing public attention.
Projekt 3: Children in Road Traffic:
The continuously growing road traffic and its resulting safety hazards have made road safety education of our children a responsible and very important task we have to confront. It is for this reason that we support the Foundation for Children's Safety Hamburg with regular donations for traffic colouring books, which are distributed above all to kindergartens and primary schools over the whole of Berlin. By looking at, colouring and talking about the pictures in the colouring books the children will more easily remember correct behaviour in traffic situations.
Projekt 4: International Police Association:
A further important task is to make clear that our children are our future. Therefore, it must be our goal to guarantee our children a high degree of protection for their continuing development in life. We should not shut our eyes when abusive actions against children become known in our area. For this reason we support the International Police Association with regular donations for colouring books against child abuse. The pictures are meant to serve as a help in the early recognition and prevention of such conflict areas.