Intercultural Mentoring for Schools

Project Number: AUT1

Country: Austria

Institutions/Departments: University of Vienna, Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

URL: https://www.univie.ac.at/alumni.ksa/iku-mentoring

Publication/Material: https://www.univie.ac.at/alumni.ksa/iku-mentoring/download

Project leader and contact person: Susanne Binder: susanne.binder@univie.ac.at

Duration: since 2014 - until present

Short Description:

Viewing the diverse language and cultural backgrounds of children in Austrian classrooms as integral to the pluralism of contemporary Austrian society, this project aims to support pupils with migration biographies in their personal development and with school-related challenges. Multilingual mentors, recruited among students at the University of Vienna, are chosen for their knowledge of the Austrian education system and their personal experience with migration challenges.

Contact with a class is established when the project is introduced in a school. The mentor scheme is primarily designed to offer ethnic minority children opportunities to exchange experiences regarding the challenges they face in Austrian society. During weekly school visits, mentors offer tutoring to pupils in their first languages. They also take part in school events such as project weeks, field days or excursions, and as role models, advocate for the importance of a school education.

Mentors also help design parents-teachers conferences and support teachers working in classes with children of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Working as contact persons and intercultural communicators, mentors translate and mediating between different cultural values and educational expectations. Discussing the mentoring-process with the teachers in a context sensitive manner, mentors offer information that may help teachers better understand how children with various migration biographies experience school.

Mentors also offer support for parents, by providing information about the project in a shared language. Discussing different aspects of their children’s daily lives - both in and out of school, they try to help parents make sense of complex situations and problems, and translate questions that parents may have for teachers.

Mentors presently operate in primary schools and high Schools in St. Pölten and Vienna (Austria). During regular meetings with project leaders, they are included in further developing and designing the project.

Implementation: Implemented in schools since 2014

Target Group(s), age & context: Parents, teachers, and high school pupils with migration biographies (6 -14 years).

Approach/Method: Mentoring, coaching, translating, mediating.

Type: In class participation and individual support on school-specific issues for teachers, students and parents

Funding: Federal Ministry Republic of Austria, Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs/ Initiative Vielfalter, University of Vienna, Department for Diversity in St. Pölten, MA 17 Integration and Diversity.

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.