Last week, Italian students that have successfully passed selection to join the first TandEM mentorship scheme in Italy, have gathered at IOM premises in Rome, for a three days training.
The training has been an occasion of meeting and sharing of good practices and ideas on how better implement the mentorship program, according to each university characteristics and different urban and social contexts. A total of 17 students from Sapienza University of Rome, Orientale University of Naples and University of Pisa, and 3 representative professors with the support of IOM, have worked on a guidelines document for students’ committees to define general rules and procedures of mentoring schemes.
The training has started with a useful introduction on intercultural dialogue and best approaches toward diversity prepared by IOM, followed by a presentation on how the mentorship scheme will work, and what is the committees’ expected work and actions (also based on other previous and current international mentoring programs). The session on committees’ structure and operativity, was then followed by an overview on next year’s interreligious dialogue offered by COREIS, and a presentation on the importance of communication and awareness raising to share achievements, gain visibility and sensitize the society and the academic community. Each students committee, beside presenting what kind of services are already offered by universities to support foreign students, have proposed main contents of the mentorship.
On these basis, the guidelines have been drafted, and a specific timeline for implementation has been defined.
Students participation was high and enthusiastic!
General Guide Lines for Students’ Committee available.