Düsseldorf, 20 November 2007 – The Carl-Benz-Realschule secondary school in Düsseldorf is the 500th school in Germany in which youngsters are taking an active role as "buddies". In a cooperative project together with the Rondell youth club, pupils are spending afternoons helping their fellow pupils with their homework, illustrating how buddies across Germany take on responsibility for themselves and others. This morning, Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf Joachim Erwin, former President of the German Parliament and President of buddY E.V. Prof. Rita Süssmuth and Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Vodafone Stiftung's Advisory Board, presented the pupils with a gift for their dedication and to celebrate this milestone: a super-sized gingerbread man as a symbolic buddy and EUR 500 for a joint outing by the Buddy group.
"Buddies help to imbue school life with the sense of being responsible for one another," commented Joachim Erwin. "This is why I would like to take this milestone as an opportunity to thank the buddies and the teaching staff involved at the schools in Düsseldorf." Teachers and youth workers from around 20 schools and youth support centres in Düsseldorf underwent extra training as part of this social learning programme and initiated projects at their schools. They now meet regularly to share their experience and to support each other. The main supporter of the project is the Vodafone Stiftung (foundation). The cooperation partner on behalf of the city of Düsseldorf is the local violence prevention unit.
"For us it is important that pupils play an active role in shaping day-to-day school life and take responsibility. Seeing that they can do something and that they are needed is important in developing children's personalities. Our society needs dedicated young people like these," said Prof. Rita Süssmuth, who is President of the buddY E.V. association."
Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Vodafone Stiftung's Advisory Board added: "We are proud that the Buddy project, which we initiated in 1999 and have supported ever since, has been so successful and has become the fastest-growing social learning programme in Germany. Teachers at some 300 other schools are currently preparing projects with their pupils; by 2010 we intend to reach 10% of all secondary schools in Germany."
The 500 projects across Germany pursue a wide range of activities. This is because the pupils themselves choose what they do depending on their interests and the situation at their school. The activities range from mentoring younger pupils, class councils in which issues affecting the class group are discussed to buddies who accompany children with school phobia or take on some aspects of lessons.
About buddY E.V.
buddY E.V. fosters social skills on the part of children and young people by means of peer group education. It is the association behind the Buddy project, which is targeted towards pupils in years 5 to 10. The President of the not-for-profit association is Prof. Rita Süssmuth, its main supporter is the Vodafone Stiftung.
About the Vodafone Stiftung
The Vodafone Stiftung is one of the large company-related foundations in Germany. It supports and initiates projects with the goal of providing impetus to social progress and in order to assume social policy responsibility. With its motto "Recognition. Encouragement. Making a difference", the foundation concentrates its involvement on the fields of education, social issues and health as well as art and culture. The main focus is on children and young people, as they are the ones who will shape the country's future.