That reads well: we’re a reading mentor.

Wieso, weshalb, warum? Reading is a wonderful skill, with the 26 letters opening up the doors to entirely new worlds.
As a language service provider, we still very much treasure the written word because we deal with texts as part of our job and delve into the most varied of subject areas thanks to our customers. This wish to read and to gain insights into things that are sometimes new to us is something we would also like to encourage in children and teenager. The offer to become a reading mentor at 100ProLesen came at exactly the right time.

The reading mentor initiative was launched in 2016 by the 100ProLesen initiative. All over Germany, companies or individuals support certified schools with an annual subscription of reading material of their choice. These can be haptic formats such as foreign-language journals or science magazines. Age-appropriate digital subscriptions are also good for giving away. Basically, everything that is not included in the actual reading material for schools and cannot be purchased themselves due to a lack of funding.

We are sponsoring the Gemeinschaftsschule Am Heimgarten in Ahrensburg. We send daily copies of the Hamburger Abendblatt through 100ProLesen because we think that reading a daily newspaper increases interest in what is happening around the world as well as on our own doorstep. On the one hand, this helps political and economic issues to be better understood and, on the other, you can identify more with your own region through the reporting of local issues. Reading can encourage people to have their say and form their own opinion on things. Reading also supports good spelling, expands vocabulary and sparks the imagination.

And reading newspapers can begin at an early age: the little ones can read the headlines and the children’s news and slowly orient themselves towards understanding the actual text using the pictures. Teenagers can share their views on the comments on the latest state election or read how a new film is being torn apart in the feature section. This makes daily newspapers are as much a part of breakfast for the pupils as fresh bread rolls.

Our CEO Ulrich Barnewitz talks about why we think our sponsorship is so valuable, why printed newspapers are still up to date and why we chose the Gemeinschaftsschule Am Heimgarten:

Apostroph Germany: What influenced you to become a reading mentor?
Ulrich Barnewitz: As the son of a bookseller and a librarian, reading has always had a special meaning for me. Reading encourages you to use your imagination and develop your social skills. On top of that, reading and understanding what you’ve read are essential prerequisites for actively taking part in our society. As the saying goes, reading expands the mind!

Apostroph Germany: When did you actively read your first newspaper? Which one was it?
Ulrich Barnewitz: When I was a child sitting on my granddad’s lap – a daily newspaper. He would then explain the bits I didn’t understand.
As a teenager, I started reading the Hamburger Abendblatt, FAZ and Süddeutsche Zeitung as part of a project at school. We’d like to open up all these types of positive experiences with reading to all children and teenagers.

Apostroph Germany: Which newspapers do you read – printed or online?
Ulrich Barnewitz: Spiegel Online, Handelsblatt, FAZ and Die Welt.

Apostroph Germany: When you were at school, which topics in the newspaper especially interested you?
Ulrich Barnewitz: Events and local and foreign affairs were especially interesting.

Apostroph Germany: Have you kept any newspaper articles?
Ulrich Barnewitz: Yes, sometimes I cut out some newspaper articles, for example, if there was a connection to my own family or my circle of friends.

Apostroph Germany: Why did you specifically choose to be a reading mentor at the Gemeinschaftsschule Am Heimgarten?
Ulrich Barnewitz: We want to actively support the educational mission of local schools with our commitment. That’s why we have chosen a school to which we have a local connection through our location in Ahrensburg. Children are our future and will later make a big difference to society. A fundamental foundation for success in our society is general knowledge and an understanding of how things are connected. These are skills that are trained by regularly reading newspapers.

Apostroph Germany: Are printed newspapers still in keeping with the times? What are the advantages of a printed version compared to reading a newspaper online?
Ulrich Barnewitz: Of course printed media are still up to date. A majority of people in Germany need, want and use printed information, and will continue to do so. Especially in our fast-paced times, reading a newspaper is like a little time out for many people. Through the feel and smell of print objects, information is absorbed using different senses. Magazine reports, reports and background information are particularly suitable to support this experience. Digital media are becoming increasingly important because they are able to react to events much quicker and more concisely. However, the quality of information and language often suffers as a result. That’s why they will not be able to completely replace printed products. And that’s a good thing.