A bench where children can make friends: Since the beginning of the week, one of these “friendship benches” has been set up in the schoolyards of the Brictius School in Schöppingen, the Bischof-Martin School in Heek-Nienborg, and the Grüne-Aue School in Gronau. The Westmünsterland Community Foundation fulfilled these three requests for friendship benches with support from the Career Orientation Center (BOZ) in Ahaus and the regional management of the Local Action Groups in the Leader region.
Under the guidance of instructor Markus Volkery, Adrian Ajdari, Mohammed Mokresh, and Salem Hajrusi built the benches from locally sourced larch wood. The three young men are currently completing an apprenticeship as skilled woodworking technicians at the BOZ in Ahaus. “We were very happy to support the Westmünsterland Community Foundation’s Friendship Benches project,” emphasized Andre Hövelbrinks, head of the training and continuing education department at the BOZ, during the official handover of the benches in the schoolyard of the Brictius School in Schöppingen. “Because respectful coexistence and a vibrant sense of community are close to our hearts,” he added. For Hövelbrinks, the Friendship Benches project offers the opportunity “to send a message of friendship and to encourage people to reach out to one another and not leave anyone behind.” In this way, the apprentices were able to “put their craftsmanship to use for a good cause and create something lasting for the children in our region.”
The Westmünsterland Community Foundation launched the “Friendship Benches” project in 2024 in the county seat of Borken and the surrounding municipalities. Thirty-eight benches have since been installed in elementary school playgrounds throughout Borken County. More are set to be added next year in Stadtlohn, Vreden, and Gronau. “The goal of our project is to raise awareness among girls and boys as early as elementary school about the importance of social interaction and to combat loneliness among children,” emphasized Norbert Wiemer, chairman of the board of the Westmünsterland Community Foundation. The friendship benches invite children to strike up conversations, make friends, and look out for one another. Girls and boys who feel lonely sit on these benches during recess, signaling to their classmates that they’re looking for someone to play with, talk to, or laugh with.
However, the elementary schools’ wishes can only be fulfilled with the help of donors and sponsors. Wiemer therefore thanked the BOZ trainees as well as the regional management of the Local Action Groups in the LEADER region. The latter provided financial support for the project.
For more information about this and other projects of the Westmünsterland Community Foundation, visit www.buergerstiftung-westmuensterland.de