Become a mentor
Are you a (former) student at the University of Bern and would you like to accompany a Compass participant through the preparation year? Would you like to work for more equal access for refugees to the Swiss education system? Then you are at the right place!
As a mentor for Compass UniBE participants, you will accompany project participants (mentees) in everyday university life for one year. You will be the first point of contact for questions and challenges related to university life. For example:
- Assistance in selecting lectures and seminars
- Administrative support (explain campus account, KSL, ILIAS, …)
- Finding lecture halls, classrooms, libraries or canteens
- Facilitate contact and exchange with regular students
- Individual accompaniment on the way to the goal of admission to a regular study program
- …
As a mentor, you will accompany two to three mentees. However, you will not be alone in this role. We work with small mentoring peer groups, in which two to three mentors and two to three participants (mentees) will work together. In addition, we will start with preparing you and your peer group for the mentoring cooperation with our kick-off workshop. During the two semesters there will be further thematic workshops and events. We will be there to support you.
What awaits you
- Valuable experiences in intercultural exchange and interesting encounters
- Insights into difficulties and challenges that refugee students face in Switzerland
- Broadening your knowledge on topics related to refugees, integration and education
- A confirmation of your voluntary commitment
What we expect from you
- Ideally commitment for one year
- Interest in intercultural exchange
- Time to accompany the mentees
- Ideally already advanced studies (at least 1-2 years of study experience)
- Participation in all workshops / events (= prerequisite for confirmation of voluntary commitment)
- Encounter at eye level / resource-oriented support
You can get a certificate of participation for your voluntary commitment as a Compass UniBE mentor at the end of the project year. It is also possible to get your participation recognized in the Diploma Supplement. In addition to the individual collaboration with your peer group, you should also participate in the workshops organized by us. Some of these events take place together with the mentees or only among the mentors.
Registration
The mentoring program within the Compass UniBE project is organized by the student union of the University of Bern, SUB. If you have questions or are interested, please address them directly to kompass.sub@unibe.ch.