Reading companion together reading group

Do you love reading and people and would you like to get involved with elderly people with incipient dementia? Are you a mood creator who is a good listener? Are you available for about 4 hours a month (2 hours every 2 weeks)? Then become a reading companion at one of our reading groups in the Odensehuis Groningen!
About reading together:

• Reading together is: reading aloud with a group of people a few literary texts – short fragments from novels, poems, stories - and then talking together about what these texts evoke in terms of experiences, feelings, memories.
• The aim is: to promote pleasure in reading & combat loneliness by facilitating beautiful conversations and exchange, allowing participants to experience substantial contact and to feel seen and heard.

This is what you will be doing:

• Guiding a collaborative reading group with elderly people with early dementia.
• Reading aloud, guiding the conversation and ensuring a nice, open atmosphere.
• Reflecting together: what exactly does it say? What does the text evoke in terms of stories, memories, ideas, feelings?
• Chatting over a cup of coffee and tea with something sweet.

We offer:

• A free 2-day training in the methodology of reading together.
• A number of coaching sessions.
• A network of other volunteers to share experiences with.
• Participation in an inspiring project.

• Love for reading and literature and for people.
• Empathy.
• Skills to lead a good group discussion, or desire to learn them.