College students can become part of Open Future team

We are opening registration for the mentoring program.

Mentors are an important in Open Future centers. They help coordinators prepare individual activities and support children in developing entrepreneurship, soft and digital skills. At the same time, they will be able to try working with children, expand their knowledge and skills, and get an opportunity for professional growth.

“Interning at the center was a great experience for me, both physically and online, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. She taught me how to work even better with children, how to attend to them in a different way, how to encourage and support them, to discover something new in them,” says Michaela, a student at the University of Trnava, who graduated from the program in 2020 and subsequently became a permanent part of Open Future team.

The mentor’s journey begins with 12 hours of free educational training. Students will expand their knowledge and skills in the following topics:

• non-formal education (main principles, competences, methods and techniques),
• inclusive education in practice (formal perception of inclusion and its real meaning, pillars, principles),
• group dynamics (basic rules, characteristic elements and factors),
• positive behavior management and a respectful approach (behavior management cycle, specific techniques).

The lecturers who will guide the students through the individual blocks are top experts in the field of education: Viktor Krížo from Inklucentr worked as a special educator for 12 years; Anna Symington-Maar, co-founded the Teach for Slovakia leadership program and has been dedicated to inclusive education for more than 10 years; Martin Kuruc, works at the Faculty of Education of the Comenius University, has long been dedicated to developing soft skills, working with a group.

We established cooperation with Trnava University, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, and most recently Comenius University. The training of the students is recognized by their tribal university as a pedagogical practice or part of the course.

You can find more detailed information about Open Future program, the role of mentors and the contact form on the website. You can register until 6. March 2022.