Leipzig – In the early afternoon, one after the other quietly comes through the door, looks for a desk, opens the books – with anticipation. That alone is a huge success for the Leipzig StudyHall.
The idea of the learning and meeting place in the prefabricated housing district of Grünau came about during the pandemic when it suddenly became apparent how many children had no space, peace, technical equipment or support when learning.
“I am eleven, my sister Kayenat is nine years old,” says Safia, who came to Germany with her parents from Afghanistan as a little girl on a dramatic escape. “At home the three of us share the room with our four-year-old sister. Here we each have a desk and can always ask if we get stuck. Unfortunately, our parents don’t yet speak German well enough to be able to do homework with us.”
Robin has looked for a comfortable study corner. He was able to borrow the computer from the StudyHall
Robin (15) is sitting in the next room. He’s in eighth grade. “I had to repeat it once and have already got three sixes in English this year. At home I would be a lot more distracted and maybe play games. I even enjoyed math here.”
Tina Fricke (31) and her team help the children and young people
“We are simply there, asking what the kids and young people need. It’s good for them that someone talks to them calmly and looks for solutions,” says Tina Fricke (31), deputy head of StudyHall on behalf of the city of Leipzig. “Sometimes they also want to talk about their frustration at school. It doesn’t leave us indifferent to see how stressed many children are.”
They are always thinking about new offers. For example, Tuesday is now math day. Fricke: “You can also develop fun with arithmetic with us. And so we keep looking at what the students need.”
The Study Hall is open from Tuesday to Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. BILD helps eV “A Heart for Children” supports the project with start-up financing for the first 3 years in addition to equipment such as notebooks, tables, chairs and books.
The BILD aid organization “A Heart for Children” campaigns for equal opportunities for children in Germany and the world