The “Offenbach Book Alarm Trophy” project was awarded the Hessian Reading Promotion Prize 2022. In 2022, the Offenbach City Library awarded an award for the first time for an outstanding podcast production of a school class in Offenbach, giving new impetus to the promotion of reading. The judging panel particularly appreciated the combination of the contemporary medium of podcasts with the promotion of reading and media skills as well as the development of communication and teamwork skills. The Hessian reading promotion prize is endowed with a total of 16,000 euros: 9,000 euros of this go to the Offenbach Municipal Library.
For Paul-Gerhard Weiß, head of the education department, the promotion of reading is an important key to successful education. He stresses that new ways to promote reading also need to be explored. “Digital media have become an integral part of the lives of children and young people, which is why promoting reading has become more of a challenge than ever. With the combination of podcasting and the analogue medium of books, young people can get excited about books and reading,” said city councilor Weiß, praising the city library project.
Grades 7 through 10 took part in the podcast trophy, producing a podcast episode on a reading in the German subject as part of the lesson or an afternoon workshop. It has been read, interviewed, discussed, interpreted and philosophized.
The Offenbach municipal library provided everything needed for the production, from reading material to technical equipment. Podcast producer Lena Stenz provided background knowledge in several workshops. The students themselves divided the work, coordinated the tasks and thus produced nine episodes which were listed under Offenbach-Bücheralarm-Trophy | Podcasts can be listened to on Spotify. The project was supported by the charity Carl-und-Charlotte-zur-Treue eV, the Cultural Foundation of the Sparkasse Offenbach, Bucheralarm, Loewe Verlag, Shure and Julip.
(Text: PM Municipality of Offenbach)
