Mentoring for migrant children – a resource

In 2019, Child to Child was commissioned to develop a Mentoring Methodological Framework to inform the design of the MINT project, to be delivered by Terre des Hommes and partners in Europe.  Through this project, Terre des hommes and its partners aim to empower refugee and migrant children, as well as European youth, to engage in new integration activities. As part of this EU funded project, partners will be working in Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia to support and facilitate the integration of children, enhance social relations, and empower both local youth and third-country national (TCN) children.

The world is currently facing unprecedented numbers of people on the move. Migrants can face a myriad of risks before, during and after the journey – especially migrant children. It is daunting to have to adjust to a new country when you are traumatised, homesick, alone and scared. Recognising those needs and challenges, the MINT project aims to contribute to the successful integration of third country national children in the EU, by enabling them to fulfil their full potential in their host countries.

Mentoring has proven to be an effective way to share knowledge, increase children’s social and emotional skills, and promote integration, giving young people the tools and support that they need. One component of the MINT project will therefore involve matching recently arrived children with youth volunteers with the aim of providing support, advice, and mentorhip in order to facilitate easier integration.

The document developed by Child to Child draws upon existing good practices and guidelines to provide information about:

  • Mentoring as a process, and different possible approaches.
  • How to design a mentoring program including setting parameters and selecting participants.
  • How to implement mentoring in practice, including guidelines for mentors.
  • About relevant cross-cutting considerations such as facilitating meaningful child participation, ensuring gender equity and embedding cultural sensitivity.
  • Useful links to more resources and sample forms to use in projects.

The framework can be accessed in our Resources section, here.