Project partners report positive results and continue to support equal opportunity for elementary school children in Wesel
Wesel, January 16, 2017 – Three years after the beginning of a novel educational project at the largest community elementary school in Wesel (GGS Innenstadt), the project partners have reported positive results and agreed to continue it for another three years. The “educational coaching” financed by ALTANA helps to promote disadvantaged elementary-school-aged children and enables children with a migration background or from socially adverse conditions to achieve equal opportunity.
To this end, ALTANA is financing a socio-educational expert from the Klausenhof Academy who attracts mentors locally to the GGS Innenstadt elementary school, accompanies them, and coordinates their volunteer activities. The expert’s tasks include qualifying the currently 21 mentors. A top priority is to support the children’s personality development starting in second grade. “The most important project goal has proved to be the experience of self-realization,” says project manager Hildegard Derksen from the Klausenhof Academy. “The children get to know their talents better and thus gain trust in their own abilities.”
“More and more children want a mentor”
“The positive effects can be felt not only by the children, but also in their environments,” reports the school’s principal Astrid Wahl-Weber. “More and more children want a mentor because they see the positive effects on their classmates. The project has become an integral component of school life.”
For ALTANA CEO Martin Babilas, the continuation of the successful project is in line with the company’s self-understanding: “People are the center of our activities, within our company, but also in our environment. This applies in a special way to our home site Wesel. So we are very pleased that we are able to help our smallest neighbors unfold their potential. We would like to express our warmest thanks for the commitment of everyone involved and especially to the volunteer mentors, and we wish the project continuous success in the coming three years.”
Mayor Ulrike Westkamp initiated the idea of the social project in Wesel. “The continuation of the project is good for Wesel. Both children and mentors benefit, have new experiences, and learn something. So it is a tremendous success for the participants. And we are always happy to have new mentors who accompany us on this path.”
Rüdiger Paus-Burkard, director of the Klausenhof Academy: “The project has a unique structure. An elementary school working together with an educational institution incorporating parents and students as well as volunteer mentors coupled with the support of a private company is exemplary for the interplay between funding and the assumption of social responsibility.
Interested mentors can address their questions to project coordinator Hildegard Derksen by calling +49 (0)281 164 50802 or by sending an email to: derksen@akademie-klausenhof.de.
The partners in the “educational coaching” project sign an agreement to extend the commitment for another three years. (from left to right: Rüdiger Paus-Burkard, Hildegard Derksen, Astrid Wahl-Weber, Ulrike Westkamp, Martin Babilas)
About ALTANA AG:
ALTANA is a global leader in true specialty chemicals. The Group offers innovative, environmentally compatible solutions for coating manufacturers, paint and plastics processors, the printing and packaging industries, the cosmetics sector and the electrical and electronics industry. The product range includes additives, special coatings and adhesives, effect pigments, sealants and compounds, impregnating resins and varnishes, and testing and measuring instruments. ALTANA's four divisions, BYK Additives & Instruments, ECKART Effect Pigments, ELANTAS Electrical Insulation, and ACTEGA Coatings & Sealants, all occupy a leading position in their target markets with respect to quality, product solution expertise, innovation and service.
Headquartered in Wesel/Germany, the ALTANA Group has 49 production facilities and more than 50 service and research laboratories worldwide. Throughout the Group more than 6,000 people work to ensure the worldwide success of ALTANA. In 2014, ALTANA achieved sales of about 2 billion euros. About 6 percent of sales are invested in research and development every year. Its high earning power and high growth rate make ALTANA one of the most innovative, fastest growing, and profitable chemical companies in the world.