"Encounters that leave their mark"

EMIL - the volunteer mentoring project for kindergarten children - celebrates its fifth birthday

Osnabrück, October 10, 2017

Sometimes success can be expressed in a number: 178 kindergarten children have been supported so far since EMIL - the "Volunteer Mentoring Project for Individual Learning" of the Unikate association - was founded. And this already in the first five years. Initiator Stephanie Koopmann and her team have now invited people to celebrate this milestone birthday. They were joined not only by sponsored children and their mentors, but also by cooperation partners who support the project. The Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Foundation has supported EMIL from the very beginning. "I am delighted that EMIL has grown so much in such a short time. This shows that the team is filling a gap with its volunteer work," emphasizes Michael Prior, the foundation's managing director.

However, it was not only the number, but above all the togetherness that Stephanie Koopmann, as initiator and chairwoman of the association, focused on in her address. "These are encounters that leave their mark," she said of the project, which supports the development of children between the ages of three and six. In the process, a mentor accompanies a kindergarten child for a year under the motto "You and me, time for me." At weekly meetings, the tandem sets out to find answers to questions that occupy the child. It's about magic, the life of dinosaurs or learning to swim. "EMIL supports children on their way to learning and strengthens them emotionally," Koopmann explains.

In the process, the encounters with the mentor don't just leave a mark on their little mentees. They become more self-confident and discover their self-efficacy. They sense abilities in themselves of which they are proud. The mentors also learn through the time spent together with their protégé, because they organize the meetings and because they deal with the child's questions and wishes.

Unikate accompanies the volunteers closely: the mentors are prepared for their task in workshops. In addition, they can discuss the questions that arise in the interaction of the tandems at regular meetings. The mentors take part in seminars on everyday language and movement promotion. They also keep a diary in which they record all activities and experiences with the child. Often, the friendships between mentor and mentee last beyond the official duration of the project. Board member Zina Meyer, for example, mentored her protégé four years ago - she recently attended his ninth birthday party. Over time, EMIL has gained two siblings: EMILiA has been supporting refugee children since spring 2016, and EMIL has also been offered in Bramsche since this year.

In her welcoming speech, Ute Tromp, the head of the education office of the city of Osnabrück, recalls the beginnings of the project, when Stephanie Koopmann with Kerstin Falkenstein presented her with the first ideas for EMIL: a project for children that should be feasible for the mentors on a part-time basis. "They quickly convinced other cooperation partners". John McGurk, initiator of "Athletes 4 a childrens world" emphasizes how important mentors are for children and their development.

The children are nominated for participation in EMIL by the daycare center teachers. They then meet once a week, initially at the daycare center, to get to know each other. Later, the radius of action expands and the tandems go on a journey of discovery - for example, to the museum, the forest, the swimming pool or the fire department. The mentors work on a voluntary basis and receive pocket money to finance the activities with the children. People aged 18 and older can become mentors. The first mentors came from the Protestant Technical Schools in Osnabrück, and now students from the Franz von Assisi School and students from the University and College of Osnabrück are also involved. However, such a professional background is not necessary to become a mentor. For more information, contact Stephanie Koopmann by e-mail: info@unikate-os.de.