Ulrich Tukur becomes patron for reading mentors – help for 21,000 children!

Ulrich Tukur becomes patron for reading mentors – help for 21,000 children!

In an inspiring message, Ulrich Tukur, the well-known actor and author, announced his patronage of the Lesementor Bundesverband. In doing so, he brings a breath of fresh air to the important efforts to promote reading in Germany. The association, which consists of around 16,000 volunteer reading mentors, supports over 21,000 students in learning to read and promotes their individual development. Huguette Morin-Hauser, chairwoman of the association, highlights Tukur's passion for literature and emphasizes his role as a role model for many.

Tukur, who is 68 years old and was last seen in the film “Then Life Happens” with Anke Engelke, sees reading as a key to personal growth and a better understanding of the world. “Being able to read well and understand meaning is crucial for the educational and life path of children in Germany,” emphasizes the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), pointing out that children start school with different linguistic abilities.

Why reading is important

The importance of reading skills cannot be overstated. Reading opens up new perspectives for children and young people and promotes their imagination and empathy. In addition, understanding texts is not only crucial for graduating from school, but also for forming personal opinions. Various initiatives aim to improve the reading and language skills of German children in order to support their educational path.

An outstanding initiative is the reading mentor concept, which provides for weekly reading tandem meetings for at least a year in cooperation with schools. Not only face-to-face meetings are offered, but also online reading lessons when personal encounters are not possible. This is especially important at a time when many children have difficulty reading.

The Reading Start Project and more

The BMBF supports numerous projects to promote reading. One of the most outstanding is the “Lesestart 1-2-3” project, which involves over 6,500 pediatricians and around 5,600 libraries. Funding totaling 41 million euros is planned until the end of 2026. The aim is to provide access to books and thus open up the world of reading at an early stage.

In addition, the “Reading Start: Because reading helps us move forward” project is committed to making it easier for refugee children to have access to the German language. Together with the “MENTOR Campus”, a program for individual reading support through qualified mentors, a diverse range of support is created that also includes digital media. The relevance of digital texts in education is recognized as increasingly important and is supported accordingly by the BMBF.

Through his patronage, Ulrich Tukur will also act as an emotional ambassador to further intensify the promotion of reading in Germany and to inspire both children and adults about the power of language. His support is a significant step at a time when many students' reading skills are showing disappointing results. Reading therefore remains a central building block for a better future.

If you would like to find out more about Ulrich Tukur's commitment and the work of the Lesementor Bundesverband, you can find further information on the pages of the Ostfriesische Zeitung, the Mentor Bundesverband and the Federal Ministry of Education and... Research.