The University of Lodz Mentor programme is an initiative that can be joined by any student of the University of Lodz, as well as our graduates. Mentors advise how to deal with the everyday challenges that international students face, especially at the beginning of their stay in a new country. They provide tips on issues related to studying, but also on typical everyday matters such as using public transport.
The assumption of the University of Lodz Mentor programme is to cooperate, collaborate and create a support network. Mentors are not assigned to one specific person/mentee. They work together. They help in a virtual form via an online group (using WhatsApp), as well as on-site as part of a specially created Welcome Point at the University of Lodz Library.
Becoming a Mentor for new international students is a great way to help others and feel good about it. You can share your experiences and offer tips to help them get started. Your support can really make a difference and create a welcoming campus community
– explains Adil Noor Khan, the University of Lodz mentor from Afghanistan.
How can I become the University of Lodz Mentor?
The call runs from 15 to 30 May of the current year (until 11:59 p.m.):
- STEP 1. Fill in the registration form
- STEP 2. Sign up and come to training sessions where you will learn everything relevant about the University of Lodz Mentor programme
- STEP 3. Having received an e-mail from the International Relations Office, join the WhatsApp group for Mentors of the University of Lodz.
- STEP 4. Integrate and take action!
- STEP 5. Support new students (starting in September!) by joining the WhatsApp group and by being active within the Welcome Point zone of the University of Lodz Library.
Meetings at the Welcome Point
We want the University of Lodz Mentors and students to get to know each other in a space created especially for them. Welcome Point at the University of Lodz Library is such a place. Students who came to Lodz from abroad, the University of Lodz Mentors, as well as people from the Erasmus Student Network of the University of Lodz, who are also the Mentors, meet here. Welcome Point is a place for integration, conversations and... board games. It’s a place where international students can get advice on everyday matters, such as: how to find a timetable, how to log in to the USOS system or where to shop on a student's budget. They will also learn their first words in Polish here.
It's worth helping
Helping new international students is an ideal opportunity to improve your language skills. It does not necessarily have to be English, because we also host people from non-English speaking countries. The most committed Mentors of the University of Lodz receive special prizes. These include bomber jackets and certificates. The University of Lodz Mentor Certificate lists all achievements and forms of involvement in great detail. The certificates also have their own ranking: Good Mentor, Very Good Mentor and Exemplary Mentor. The more often you are involved in mentoring initiatives and provide assistance, the higher the rank of such a certificate. Mentor of the University of Lodz certificates are awarded by the Rector of the University of Lodz during a special ceremony.
Diversity
In the academic year 2023/2024, over 1,200 international students started studies at the University of Lodz as part of study programmes leading to diplomas and exchange programmes. It is with them in mind that the University of Lodz has opened Welcome Point for the first time in its history – a place where they can benefit from the help of 70 mentors. Mentors are senior university students from, among others, Poland, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, China, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, trained by the International Relations Office, providing information on the functioning of the university, but also on the issues related to everyday life in Lodz and Poland.
- See the photo report of the Welcome Point in autumn 2023
- You can read more about international cooperation and trips abroad on the International mobility website.
Source: International Relations Office, University of Lodz
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz
Photos: Maciej Andrzejewski, Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz