From February 2019 onwards I will start a part-time volunteer job at SK Stiftung Kultur in Cologne. The SK Stiftung Kultur is an integral part of Cologne’s cultural offer. I am volunteering at a project for reading promotion in cooperation with the football club 1. FC Köln. Reading promotion with ball and book, that’s „Kicken & Lesen Köln“. A combination of football and reading training strengthens the reading skills of boys.
For many boys, interest in reading breaks between the ages of eight and twelve. Compared to girls, reading skills are often a whole school year behind, as the Pisa studies have shown. In order to counteract this gap, the SK Stiftung Kultur, together with 1. FC Köln, has started a reading promotion project specially tailored to the needs of boys. It is scientifically supervised and is based on an initiative of the Baden-Württemberg-Stiftung and the VfB Stuttgart 1893 e.V.
Over a period of one school year, boys in grades 5 and 6 will be accompanied at Cologne schools. In reading and football training sessions, the boys can collect points for their team – this serves the competitive idea and provides an additional incentive. At the end there will be a Book Slam® and a football tournament at 1. FC Köln with a final public tribute to the winning team.