About the Research

The mentoring project “Lernen macht Schule” was introduced in Salzburg in 2014 and has since been supervised by the ifz. Initially, the project began with about 20 students per semester who volunteered to support children and youth in need. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of students willing to devote their time to this good cause has increased to about 30.

In advance of the mentoring process, the volunteering students go through a comprehensive training program. In a two-day introductory seminar, they are made familiar with helpful tools and receive practical advice for working with youth. In addition, they have the option to ask for regular supervisions. To improve the mentoring of both children and students continuously, we have been academically monitoring the project from its beginnings. In this process, we conduct guideline-based interviews with the mentors (the so-called “study buddies”) – and, if possible, also their mentees – asking them about different topics.

Report: Mentoring Youth During the Pandemic

In the meantime, fortunately many mentoring projects have come into existence, which focus their efforts on supporting children and youth in need. They all have to cope with challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. To document the lessons learned during the years of the pandemic, we have surveyed various mentoring projects in Salzburg about their experiences with digitalization and the availability of care services during that time. The results of that survey point to potentials and challenges of a digital way of mentoring as well as good ways of using them.