What is StudMentor: program goals and uniqueness

StudMentor is an intellectual volunteering program for youth who were trained in mentorship to provide catch-up programs for children of the frontline regions.

This experience also helps young people develop teamwork and strengthen their management skills.
The program is implemented by Teach for Ukraine NGO with support from UNICEF Ukraine and funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The goal of the program is to give students and youth the chance to gain real work experience and help schoolchildren from frontline regions catch up on school subjects.
We are promoting a culture of intellectual volunteering — a widespread practice abroad (especially among university students), often recognized as social engagement, creating a win-win situation: developing yourself while helping others grow.

Mentoring experience is not required, as all future mentors complete training with project specialists: an online course on Diia.Education and intensive training that helps mentors improve skills in non-violent communication, planning and self-regulation, active listening, reflection, and providing quality feedback.

Anastasiya Donska, head of the education recovery program at Teach for Ukraine NGO, notes that Ukraine is currently facing a huge education crisis. Children lack consistent access to learning and often lose faith in the value of education. In other countries, experienced student mentors who have strong subject knowledge guide children through topics in which they are experts. Such practices are common in the UK, USA, Germany and serve as a boundless source of inspiration.

We must realize that the state can’t do everything on its own — we have to help. So we decided: if we involve students, give them the right tools and knowledge to teach lessons, this will be the foundation for raising smart kids in Ukraine. They will become qualified, competitive, and most importantly, happy. StudMentor is a program about happiness.

The program runs in waves throughout the year. Recruitment waves start approximately every month.
Each mentoring wave lasts 8 weeks. All children taught through the program are from frontline regions or are internally displaced. Often, they don’t have access to quality education. Some kids attend their first-ever chemistry lesson this year with our StudMentors because there is no chemistry teacher in their village school. Some children open up and share with StudMentors things they don’t dare tell adults — the small age gap between students and mentees plays a big role here.

Opportunities for program participants:

• In-person training in the Carpathians;
• Pedagogical practice credited at partner universities;
• Gifts and official certificates from Teach for Ukraine NGO and UNICEF;
• Work experience to add to your resume;
• Simplified selection for the Teach for Ukraine Fellowship program;
• Special conditions for joining UNICEF’s UPSHIFT program;
• The chance to help the country and children in frontline regions.

What does volunteering in the program involve?

• Teaching a favorite subject to one (or max two) groups of students;
• Online lessons twice a week, 45 minutes each;
• Mentee groups of up to 3 students in grades 5-11;
• Subjects and schedules are tailored individually;
• The program team provides mentors with materials;
• Continuous support from a supermentor — an experienced teacher — and mentoring experts.

You are an ideal candidate if:

• You are over 18 at the start of the wave;
• You have strong knowledge in one of the school subjects: Ukrainian language, mathematics (algebra, geometry), history, physics, chemistry, biology, English, geography, or computer science;
• You are ready to dedicate at least 4 hours per week to the program.