"Reading scouts" in action at schools for another two years

So-called reading scouts are to encourage reading at schools in Saxony for a further two years. The Reading Foundation's project will be funded with 50,000 euros until the end of 2025, the Ministry of Culture announced in Dresden on Tuesday. Since 2006, around 1,000 "reading scouts" have been trying to inspire schoolchildren throughout Saxony to read every year.

"The reading scouts do a great job: they turn bookworms into reading enthusiasts. They tap into the interests of young people and use new media to build a bridge to reading," said Saxony's Minister of Education Christian Piwarz (CDU). Reading is a key competence for achieving learning success. The support project aims to create important educational opportunities with the help of the "reading scouts".

The young "reading scouts" immerse themselves in stories together with pupils, create film clips or podcasts or launch a reading challenge at their schools. Through the "Reading Scouts", children and young people should find their own way into the world of reading. The aim is to improve reading skills - the basis for their education and later professional success.