International Mentor training

We held a two half-day mentor training in English, within the framework of the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme, for international student mentors, new to mentoring and also for those who have been mentoring for some time now.

One of the aims of the workshop was for the mentoring team to get to know each other better, to get a personal impression of each other and to build the trust that is needed to support each other. Another aim was to look at the mentoring role and the challenges and opportunities for development that can come with it.

We played several games that gave us a chance to reflect through immediate experiences and, like a thread hanging out of a sweater, we could begin to unravel what this opportunity means for mentors as well as for the students they support. It was interesting to be presented with how much of a professional challenge, human dilemma, communication and boundary-pushing a seemingly simple role can be if it is to be managed in a way that brings the most for both mentor and student.

We talked about the expectations and fantasies of students as perceived by the mentors, but we also discussed what professional competences are required and what ethical considerations may arise during mentoring. We hope that this training was just a start, and that we will have the opportunity to reflect together on concrete life situations, the best responses to them and the huge impact that mentoring can have on the careers of mentors.