Friendship Benches for Primary Schools

The West Münsterland Citizens' Foundation supports an innovative social and educational project for primary schools in West Münsterland (Borken district) with the Friendship Benches. The aim is to complement the break-time offerings in schoolyards with a low-threshold invitation to interaction and to raise primary school children’s awareness of solidarity and cohesion. Signals of loneliness become visible: children who have no one to play or talk with take a seat on the specially crafted larch wood bench. Apprentices in the carpentry trade from the Borken Carpenters' Guild manufacture the weather-resistant benches, which are then colorfully decorated by the students. The project, which originated in Zimbabwe in 2006, is being gradually expanded throughout the entire district and sustainably strengthens the school community as well as solidarity among the children.

Eligible for funding are public educational institutions and primary schools in the West Münsterland district, particularly in Borken, Velen, Reken, Raesfeld, Heiden, Bocholt, Rhede, Isselburg, Gescher, Südlohn, and Oeding. The grant is awarded upon application within an ongoing procedure. A prerequisite is the completed Friendship Bench application form, which must be submitted to the West Münsterland Citizens' Foundation. As the number of benches is limited, timely application is recommended. This initiative creates a simple yet unifying impulse for play, conversation, and mutual listening – a benefit for every school community.