“Learning to Build Bridges”
Working with Bridges by Mentors has been a particularly valuable experience for us at Howest. Together with my colleague Simon, I had the opportunity to guide and support our internship students throughout their involvement in the project.
What I found especially inspiring was the learning journey created at different levels. Our internship students were not simply participating in the project; they were given the responsibility to support international students in developing the skills and confidence they needed to become mentors themselves. This required our students to listen, communicate across cultures, build trust and, above all, learn how to empower others rather than simply provide answers.
As supervisors, Simon and I saw how much our students grew through this experience. They developed their professional skills, but also became more aware of their own role in creating meaningful connections between people from different backgrounds.
Bridges by Mentors shows that mentoring is a two-way learning experience. The international students bring their own perspectives, experiences and cultural backgrounds, while the students supporting them also learn and grow along the way. It creates a ripple effect: when you empower one person to become a mentor, that person can in turn empower someone else.
For me, this is what makes the project so meaningful. It goes beyond internationalisation or work experience. It creates opportunities for genuine human connection and helps students discover that their own knowledge, experiences and perspective can be a valuable starting point for building bridges with others.