TandEM mentorship schemes:

Following the example of mentorship programs developed in Canadian universities by WUSC (World University Service of Canada), TandEM mentorship scheme wants to promote the active participation of students in building more cohesive societies, while enhancing peer-to-peer models among young people with migration backgrounds in Italy and Spain.
Orientale University of Naples, Sapienza University of Rome and University of Pisa in Italy, together with Complutense University of Madrid in Spain, are project’s starting points and laboratories in the European context.
The idea is to create universities’ committees able to support TCNs students’ integration, engaging national students with good knowledge of the academic and social context of belonging and sensitivity toward inclusion issues.
In this sense, inclusion is meant as a crosscutting issue, that needs attention and support in different spheres; for this reason, each student part of the committees, will engage with different support activities, according to his/her area of interests:

Administrative and Legal Support:

  • Registration procedures
  • Information on university fees and exemptions
  • Visa renewal procedures
  • Documents translation
  • Procedure for the recognition of Foreign Titles

Academic Support:

  • Definition of study plan
  • Exam preparation
  • Notes and handouts sharing
  • Access to libraries
  • Creation of a second-hand textbooks research and exchange’s system
  • Organization of linguistic tandems and language courses

Social Support:

  • Introduction to city’s services (e.g. health and social services, transportation system, driving license procedures etc.)
  • House hunting support
  • Events organization (e.g. cultural trips, recreational activities, sport)
  • Information and support with bank account opening and telephone/internet plans
  • Orientation and tips on local cultural approaches
  • CV creation and job-seeking support

Communication and Awareness Raising:

  • Raising university community awareness on project’s topics and mentoring activities
  • Sharing project’s achievements through social networks, university radio channels and university magazines
  • Organization of public events (conferences and debates)
  • Sharing positive stories and good practices on social inclusion
  • Building and maintaining partnerships with local authorities and other civil society entities

The first cycle of mentorships is currently under implementation until next June 2019.
Follow TandEM mentorship achievements and get inspired by our stories on our social networks.
Futher information: iomtandem@iom.int