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The Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize 2011 goes to Professor Michael
Tomasello, Co-Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany
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The Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Award 2011 is bestowed upon Christiane
Daepp, founder of the Swiss program "Ideenbüro"
ZURICH, Oct. 13, 2011 /CNW/ - The Zurich-based Jacobs Foundation, an
international foundation in the field of child and youth development,
has announced the laureates of the two Klaus J. Jacobs Awards 2011,
endowed with a total of 1.2 million Swiss francs. The developmental
psychologist Professor Michael Tomasello is the recipient of this
year's Research Prize, while the Best Practice Award goes to the
founder of the Swiss program "Ideenbüro", Christiane Daepp. Both prizes
will be presented during an awards ceremony on 2nd December 2011 at the University of Zurich.
Born to cooperate
The central findings of Professor Michael Tomasello's research show that
even one-year-old children who cannot yet speak are capable of
cooperating and helping other children. This behaviour exists without
being taught by adults. Professor Tomasello's comparative research into
communicative behaviour and learning processes of preschool-aged
children on the one hand, and those of the great apes on the other,
provides evidence that humans are born to cooperate - and that this is
a primary difference between humans and great apes. Young children do
not perceive space, quantity or logical correlations any better than
great apes do, but they are able to learn more easily with others and
can recognize the intentions of others more quickly. This is the
primary basis for the ability to speak. The Klaus J. Jacobs Research
Prize 2011, endowed with 1 million Swiss francs is a spur for Professor
Michael Tomasello's future work in his research field: "The money
allows you to do some research things that you wouldn't otherwise be
able to do. In particular, it allows you to plan larger research
projects with a greater time horizon."
Cooperation at school - Schoolchildren acting as problem-solvers for
fellow pupils
During her career as a teacher, Christiane Daepp realized that children
are excellent listeners and problem solvers. On the basis of this
knowledge, Christiane Daepp founded "Ideenbüro", a program in which
schoolchildren help their fellow pupils solve problems. "Small children
are impressed by older children and depend on their behavior rather
than listen to well-intentioned advices of adults", explains Christiane
Daepp. "This is the reason why consultations at the Ideenbüro are so
efficient and effective." The "Ideenbüro" is the contact point in a
school for all types of problems, ranging from bullying and vandalism
to the troubles that arise in pupil-teacher interaction. The children
in charge of the "Ideenbüro" take responsibility for solving problems
independently and participating in the social community.
The Klaus J. Jacobs Awards
In honour of its founder, the entrepreneur Klaus J. Jacobs, who passed
away in 2008, the Jacobs Foundation has awarded two annual prizes since
2009. Endowed with a total of 1.2 million Swiss francs, the prizes
recognize exceptional achievements in research and practice in the
field of child and youth development. The Klaus J. Jacobs Research
Prize acknowledges scientific work of high social relevance to the
development of children and young people. The Jacobs Foundation
attaches great importance to scientific findings from interdisciplinary
research which can yield practical applications. The Klaus J. Jacobs
Best Practice Award recognizes the exceptional commitment of
institutions or individuals who put innovative solutions in the field
of child and youth development into practice. The Best Practice Award
is endowed with 200,000 Swiss francs.
About the Jacobs Foundation
The Zurich-based private Jacobs Foundation was established in 1988 by
entrepreneur Klaus J. Jacobs. Ever since, the foundation has focused
its efforts on the development of children and youth. The Jacobs
Foundation supports research projects, intervention programs and
scientific institutions with 35 million Swiss francs per year. As far
as its methods and approaches are concerned, the foundation is
particularly committed to scientific excellence and evidence-based
findings. With its investment of EUR 200 million in the Jacobs
University Bremen in Germany (2006), it set new standards in the area
of private funding.
