Young people have different individual paths towards becoming a professional. To make Higher Education truly accessible for all students, student mentoring can be used as a powerful instrument. To this end, a common European methodology has been developed enabling organizations to start implementing mentoring, by and for students, to work towards more inclusive Higher Education. Six European organizations joined forces in 'Mentor Your Future' to connect expertise and develop innovative tools, resulting in a Toolkit for Higher Educational Institutes to implement student mentoring to strengthen social inclusion in educational pathways. This Toolkit includes training methods, an implementation guide and a platform to share experiences and connect professionals. With the help of student mentoring, young people from various backgrounds are more likely to enter Higher Education and be more successful in completing this education. At the same time student mentors develop their soft skills and have a stronger sense of civic engagement and having the required skills for employment, good jobs and entrepreneurship. In addition, the method allows organizations to empower both students and the mentees they pair up with, resulting in more committed citizens which has a positive impact on society.
By connecting both NGO’s, Mentoring Organizations and Higher Educational Institutes from 6 different countries, the method considered different perspectives and contexts. Therefore the methodology can be used in different environments, organizations and countries and can be broadly implemented in Europe and beyond. Mentor your Future contributes directly to SDG 4 - Quality Education and SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities.

Afke Bruinsma
Project leader Mentor Your Future
International Affairs,  NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences



Lena Karnalova
Director
Big Brothers Big Sister of Bulgaria



Katerina Georgaki
Director of Unic Mentor Youth Guidance Program
University of Nicosia



Eunice Lunetta Mangado
Program Director
AFEV



María Arós de Ayala
Director
Coordinadora de Mentoría Social



Aukje van der Veen
Project coordinator
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences



Julia Petkova
Project coordinator
Big Brothers Big Sister of Bulgaria



Alexandros Antonaras
Director Student Services
University of Nicosia



Aventia Wilona
EU Project Coordinator
ACEEU



Fernanda Garza
Project coordinator
AFEV



Andri Anastasiou
Practicum Coordinator of MSc School Psychology/Clinical Supervisor for Unic Mentor Youth Guidance Programme
University of Nicosia



Ioulia Papageorgi
Professor and Associate Dean
University of Nicosia

We would like to thank
• Our colleagues in the partnership Alexandros Antonaras, Andri Anastasiou, Afke Bruinsma, Aukje van der Veen, Aventia Wilona, Eunice Mangado, Fernanda Garza, Katerina Georgaki , Ioulia Papageorgi, Julia Petkova, Lena Karnalova, Marta Alfonso, Marine Schoucair
• Our initiators, supporters and ambassadors Moniek Dijkema, Szilvia Simon, Wayne Johnson
• Our inspirators Betty Bijvoets and Ilana Cicurel
• All colleagues and regional stakeholders involved in the focus groups
• All student mentors and mentees taking part in the project