Social Element’s participation in the mentoring programme, was an extremely positive and useful experience. The involvement of university students as mentors, provided an opportunity for our participants (people with intellectual disabilities), to interact with youth and to develop important communication and social skills.
The Bridges by Mentor’s activities, provided our participants with opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas, take part in discussions, engage in activities and work together with student mentors. This contributed to building their confidence and encouraged them to become more actively involved in the activities.
From our professional experience, we believe that mentoring was particularly useful because it focused not only on providing information or knowledge, but also on creating meaningful interaction. The student mentors were able to adapt their approach to the needs and abilities of the participants, while the participants had the opportunity to develop skills that are relevant to their everyday life experience.
The combination of indoor and outdoor activities was also beneficial. Indoor activities provided opportunities for learning, discussion, creativity and teamwork, while outdoor activities encouraged social interaction, participation and the development of practical skills in a more informal environment. The variety of activities helped maintain engagement and allowed participants to interact in different settings.
The involvement and the expertise that student mentors gained, was also valuable from an inclusion perspective. It provided them with the opportunity to gain a better understanding of intellectual disability, realize the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities and familiarized them with some of the challenges they may face when entering and participating in the workplace. This type of direct interaction can help reduce misconceptions and contribute to a more inclusive attitude towards their future working experience as psychologists.
From Social Element’s perspective, the initiative also highlighted the importance of providing people with intellectual disabilities, opportunities to develop skills in real-life and social contexts. Mentoring can be an effective way of supporting this development, particularly when the activities are structured around the individual’s abilities, interests and needs.
Overall, our team has considered the initiative very useful and relevant. We believe that similar mentoring programmes could provide meaningful opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities while also giving students valuable practical experience. In addition, continued cooperation between educational institutions, organisations and employers could further support the development of inclusive cooperation and help create a better understanding by all participants.
Andreas Papageorgiou
Ceo of Social Element Center for Social & Human Development
https://socialelementcy.org/