During the 2025–2026 academic year, I worked as the Project Coordinator for Bridges by Mentor (BBM) from the Student Empowerment Space (SEMS) at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden.
My main responsibility was supporting and coordinating the second-year Pedagogy and Social Work students who participated in BBM as interns and peer coaches. They worked from a train-the-trainer approach, using their knowledge and experience as future professionals to train international students to become mentors for children, young people and community organisations in Leeuwarden.
My role was to create the conditions in which the peer coaches could carry out this role successfully. Within SEMS, we had a weekly team meeting where we checked in with the peer coaches, discussed what was going well, addressed challenges and reflected on how everyone was doing within the project. The peer coaches also met once or twice a week to prepare their training sessions, field trips and activities.
One example was the Superhero activity, where international students explored their own strengths and “superhero skills” and considered how they could use these skills when working with children and young people. As a coordinator, I supported the peer coaches in preparing activities like this and helped them stay organised, motivated and confident in their role.
The project involved collaboration between the International Office, SEMS and other organisations. This required regular communication and coordination between different people and perspectives. At times, this could be challenging, especially because the peer coaches were students themselves and had to balance their internship with their studies, work and personal lives. My role was often to keep an overview, remain calm when challenges arose and step in when additional support or direction was needed.
One of the most rewarding parts of the project was seeing the development of the peer coaches. At the beginning, some were nervous about standing in front of a group, while towards the end they had grown into confident trainers. Seeing their professional and personal growth, as well as the friendships that developed within the group, was a valuable part of my experience.
Looking back, I believe Bridges by Mentor would not have been possible in the same way without the SEMS interns and peer coaches standing in front of the international students. They were an essential part of bringing the project to life. Their knowledge, energy and willingness to learn made it possible to create meaningful learning experiences for the international students. For me, this was one of the most valuable aspects of the project: seeing students grow into their role while, at the same time, helping other students develop the confidence and skills to become mentors themselves.
This experience showed me that successful coordination is ultimately about creating the right balance between structure, support and giving students the ownership to grow into their role.
Johan Brokken MA
Projectleader Student Empowerment Space (SEMS)