A playful start to the summer holidays

Westfalen supports language camp for children with individual learning needs

When the summer holidays begin in North Rhine-Westphalia, it has become a tradition that the Deutschsommer in Münster gets underway. For three weeks, third-grade students who have individual learning needs in German take part in a language camp where they playfully explore the language. “Holidays that make you smart” is the motto of the project, which the Münster-based Bürgerwaisenhaus Foundation is offering for the eighth time as part of its ‘Mitmachkinder’ program. The Westfalen Group has been supporting the German Summer for just as long and donated 25,000 euros for it this year.

Grammar, reading and a lot of theater are the focus of the Deutschsommer, in which 54 children from 17 primary schools are taking part this time. “Education has a significant influence on personal development and is also important for young people in particular to get ahead at school and at work,” says Dr. Meike Schäffler, a member of the board of management at the Westfalen Group. The Deutschsommer is one of the entrepreneurial family's social flagship projects. Schäffler: “Westfalen actively supports young people not only with its regular donation to the Deutschsommer, but also in many other areas, such as our education initiative. Social commitment is part of our company's DNA. That's why I'm very pleased that our donation will once again help to ensure that children can start their vacations having fun.”

“Our experience shows that the children not only improve their German during the German Summer, but also have a lot of fun,” emphasizes Christine Westphal of the municipal foundations. The evaluations of the language holidays underline the positive effect. This year, too, the project is characterized by many different cultures. A large proportion of the participating children come from Syria, Ukraine, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. Until July 26, the children will be learning all aspects of the German language in order to be well prepared for the transition to the crucial fourth grade. The highlight and conclusion of the program is a play that is performed in front of family members and teachers.