A Future-Oriented Mentoring Initiative for Children
The mentoring project “Lernen macht Schule” is an initiative that seeks to challenge the fact that poverty at home can significantly restrict opportunities to obtain a good education. After all, education is key for peacefully living together in our society! Twice a week, students from the University of Salzburg mentor children growing up in socially disadvantaged families. In the meetings, mentors and mentees jointly study for exams, do homework assignments, support the development of the children’s personality, and engage in leisure time activities.
Mentoring-Projekt „Lernen macht Schule“
A Future-Oriented Initiative
About the Project
“Lernen macht Schule” is an initiative that seeks to challenge the fact that poverty at home can significantly restrict opportunities to obtain a good education. After all, education is key for peacefully living together in our society! Twice a week, students from the University of Salzburg mentor children growing up in socially disadvantaged families, in cooperation with Caritas Salzburg’s Lerncafés (“Study Cafés”). In the meetings, mentors and mentees jointly study for exams, do homework assignments, support the development of the children’s personality, and engage in leisure time activities. Experienced employees with a socio-pedagogical background support, accompany, and supervise the university students. To those students, the mentoring project is an opportunity to further develop their social and pedagogical skillset, to be an ‘educational role model’, and, in addition, to get firsthand insights into the workings of a non-profit organization.
The Aim
To support learning and integration by enabling exchange among students and young people growing up in socially disadvantaged families. In that way, the mentoring project helps children, adolescents, and young adults who have to overcome major barriers to gain access to education in consequence of poverty and social exclusion. Simultaneously, the project aims to install a sense of social responsibility in future academics. The academic supervision by researchers from the ifz is a core element of the project.
“Lernen macht Schule“ Vienna
The mentoring project was initiated in 2010 at Vienna University of Economics and Business. Caritas Vienna and Rewe International AG are co-initiators.
„Lernen macht Schule“ Salzburg
In Salzburg, “Lernen macht Schule” was initiated by the Salzburg Ethics Initiative, the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research (CEPR), Caritas Salzburg and the International Research Center for Social and Ethical Questions (ifz). The mentoring project is funded by the project sponsors and supported by Raiffeisenverband Salzburg, “Lernen macht Schule” at Vienna University of Economics and Business.
