I. SOCIAL MENTORING AS AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

The definition of the social mentoring

The social mentoring from educational point of view is a developmental partnership through which one person shares knowledge, skills, information and perspective to foster the social inclusion of personal and social growth. We all have a need for insight that is outside of our normal life and educational experience. The power of social mentoring is that it creates a one-of-a-kind opportunity for collaboration, goal achievement and problem-solving for social inclusion.

How can we define the mentoring process on social inclusion? It is:

• a development process which has a start and an end

• is based on confidential meetings

  • in pair meetings (pair mentoring) or

  • group (group mentoring)

• connects the fresh ideas of the mentee to the mentor´s experience, wisdom and networks

• enhances learning opportunities of mentees to overcome the social exclusion..

• the age is not crucial, the experience is.

The definition of 3M-actors (Manager, Mentor, Mentee)

3M-actors mean involvement of manager, mentor and mentee. The word ”Mentor” has its roots in Greek mythology. The story tells that when Odysseus went off to the Troyan war he asked his friend Mentor to bring up his son Telemakhos as his friend and advisor. The word mentee is used generally to mean the less experienced person, the one who is receiving the ”guiding”. Mentor is a skilled, experienced and esteemed person who is willing to support and advise a less experienced person without financial compensation. Mentee is a less experienced person who is willing and able to develop both as a person and in her/his profession. The main role of manager/coordinator is to organise the process of social mentoring (more information on roles of manager, mentor and mentee, please see part IV. PROCESS OF GROUP SOCIAL MENTORING.

The basic aim and importance of social mentoring

The basic aim of social mentoring is to promote and support the mentees for social inclusion by raising trust in his/her knowledge and capability, by raising self-esteem, by conveying the mentor`s tacit knowledge, experience and contacts to the mentee and by discovering new ways to overcome social exclusion. This innovative approach is based on collaborative learning in groups, on creative problem solving, experimental learning, critical thinking and creativity.

Mentoring is important, because it:

• Guarantees the development

• Raises self-esteem and belief in oneself

• Creates networks

• Raises motivation

• Learns to set goals

• Gives support and help

• Raises understanding between generations, cultures and different kinds of people

• Gives information

• Good method of learning and developing

• Gives satisfaction

• Gives courage to meet conflicts

• Gives courage to take risks

• Learns a ”helicopter perspective” to life

The motto of the mentoring process could be the following: THE BEST WE CAN DO FOR OTHERS IS NOT TO SHARE OUR FORTUNE WITH THEM BUT TO SHOW WHERE THEIR OWN FORTUNE LIES.

Theoretical background of social mentoring

The methodology of the social mentoring as a learning process could be built on Transformative Learning Theory and on Constructivist approach. According to Mezirow (2000)¹ learning occurs in one of four ways:

• by elaborating existing frames of reference,

• by learning new frames of reference,

• by transforming points of view, or

• by transforming habits of mind.

“Transformation theory's focus is on how we learn to negotiate and act on our own purposes, values, feelings, and meanings rather than those we have uncritically assimilated from others -- to gain greater control over our lives as socially responsible, clear thinking decision makers.” (Ref. Mezirow, 2000)

Transformative Learning Theory is an adult education based theory that suggests ways in which adults make meaning of their lives. It looks at “deep learning”.

Transformative learning is learning that changes how people think, which often produces changes in how they act. It can be a single dramatic event or the culmination of a more gradual process. It can involve a small insight or a collection of smaller insights that leads to a much larger change in thinking and behaviour.

• It looks at what mechanisms are required for adults to identify, assess and evaluate alternative sources of information, often sources that may look at how adults can identify, assess and evaluate new information, and in some cases, reframe their world-view through the incorporation of new knowledge or information into their world-view or belief system.

• The teacher's role in establishing an environment that builds trust and care and facilitates the development of sensitive relationships among learners is a fundamental principle of fostering transformative learning

• Although it is difficult for transformative learning to occur without the teacher playing a key role, participants also have a responsibility for creating the learning environment. As a part of a community of knowers, learners share the responsibility for constructing and creating the conditions under which transformative learning can occur.

• Transformative learning is basically the kind of learning we do as we make meaning of our lives. It's become a very popular topic in adult education because it doesn't just involve classroom learning--it involves learning about our lives. This is important because as adults, the meaning making process can change everything about how we look at work, family, and the world.

Concerning the social mentoring, the Constructivist approach is important, then students are responsible for their learning and teachers and peer mentors serve as facilitators. The social constructivist perspective emphasizes the importance of collaborative learning. In collaborative learning students work together to achieve a shared learning goal; they form learning communities that encourage the development of ideas, and a supportive environment that encourages scholarship. Collaborative learning is vital to a social constructivist approach because it allows for “distributed cognition”, permitting thinking clarification. As one of features of group social mentoring is cooperation, the social constructivist perspective remains important from theoretical perspective².

Communication theory postulates that communication is central to the initiation, maintenance, and repair of mentoring relationships. The initiation of mentoring is likened to the initiation of friendships and love relationships in terms of communicating appropriate relational expectations. Because the mentor has the most power in a mentoring relationship, the mentee is anticipated to direct more communicative attempts toward initiating, maintaining, and repairing the relationship than the mentor. Mentee are proposed to be more likely than males to use communicative strategies in achieving their mentoring goals. Mentors are proposed to use communication to initiate, maintain, and repair mentoring relationships if they are invested in the success of their mentees.

Social dialogue leads to:

• clarify their intention – learning rather than browsing;

• ground their learning – by defining their question or problem;

• engage in focused conversations – increasing their understanding of the available
  resources³.

All three of these conditions occur only when people stop surfing and actually start conversing. They must dialogue with the intention of learning, not just sharing their opinions. Developmental dialogue is the process of moving an ongoing conversation along a path that produces learning and development for all involved. It is suggested a four phase process to guide productive developmental dialogue through social learning relationships:

• Reflect on the past and present

• Envision the possible future

• Explore possible ways to get there

• Act on your dialogue and start doing something to make progress towards the desired future

A common learning needs of socially disadvantaged persons: unemployed, migrants and senior citizens.

Mentoring has emerged as a key policy intervention in responding to the needs of a diverse range of individuals and social groups across a wide range of policy contexts. To touch some aspects of particularities and specific needs of social mentoring for socially disadvantaged persons, project LIGHT concentrated on the unemployed, migrants and senior citizens (i.e., for unemployed – the main effort has to be orientated for successful job seeking on employment related issues (CV, motivation letter, etc...), for migrant – integration into society as a “full” citizen, main obstacles; for senior citizen – as an active citizen).

The learning needs of migrants

Migrants are very diverse. Language skills are very important in enabling labour market integration of migrants. Many migrants have a lack of awareness of language and culture of new country (both within and beyond the workplace). Many migrants are not utilising the skills that they bring with them: they are working below their skills level. Lack of recognition of overseas qualifications is an important contributory issue here. The social mentoring aims to support migrants who are unable to find employment in their area of expertise because they face specific barriers. Barriers may include lack of:

• language skills;

• knowledge about job seeking processes and workplaces;

• recognition of overseas qualifications;

• local work experience.

Most common concerns of migrants are related to the following subjects:

• Learning about Language

• Learning about Culture

• Learning about Community and Society

• Learning about work possibilities in the country.

The learning needs of senior citizens

Older people learn differently to other age groups, they learn better from other older people and prefer to learn in groups of their peers rather than intergenerational groups. Certain courses and computer skills training in particular are considered more suitable to undertake with peers, as it can build confidence to be surrounded by people of the same generation, who learn at the same pace. It is important to note however that many older people may enjoy courses run in intergenerational settings e.g. creative, sporting and recreational activities.

In relation to lifelong learning, the importance of consultation with older learners cannot be overemphasised. In general, older people wish to participate in meaningful activity which interests them, and which has a practical and functional dimension rather than the tokenism associated with taking part in an activity just for the sake of it. Some older people may be sensitive to the 5 perception within certain sections of society that older people are somehow worthless or unproductive. Older people want to make a contribution, which is recognised and valued by their community.

In order to be successful, projects need to engage older people, help develop their confidence and self esteem and have a positive effect on their lives.

The learning needs of unemployed persons⁴

The learning needs of the unemployed will not necessary be related to the fact of their unemployment. Their needs may stem from other problems they have, or other interests and opportunities they want to explore. Almost all unemployed people experience some negative effects from being unemployed. Research at the University of Sheffield in the 1980s suggested nine such effects in particular:

• Reduced Income – Among unemployed working class men, about two-thirds have a household income which is half or less than their income when employed. Financial anxiety tends to be high and to be an important source of distress.

• Reduced variety of activities – Unemployed people are required to leave their home less often, and their reduced income means that they have less money to go to clubs, pubs, sporting events, the cinema etc. More time is spent in household tasks and sleeping, sitting around and watching television.

• Fewer goals and less ‘traction’ Employment often not only offers goals in itself but commits one to other goals and tasks: one becomes drawn along by the structure of one’s work. Unemployed people feel the lack of such goals.

• Reduced scope for decision-making Unemployed people may experience greater freedom of choice in relation to small repetitive decisions about daily routine, but in respect of large decisions – for example, about life-style or leisure activities – the range of realistic options available to them is usually severely curtailed by lack of material resources (and, often, psychological resources too).

• Increased exposure to psychologically threatening experiences Unemployed people are committed to seeking jobs where they will often be rejected; they have to deal with a society which often appears to view them as second-class citizens; they have to struggle to raise money through borrowing and selling; and they often experience difficulties and humiliation in securing the benefits and allowances to which they are entitled.

• Increased insecurity about the future Many unemployed people identify as a major problem not knowing what is going to happen to them in future month. In particular, they are threatened by the possibility that they might become unemployable, lose their self-respect, or have insoluble money problems.

• Restricted interpersonal contact Unemployed people tend to reduce the range of other people with whom they have contact, and to confine their social contacts within a much more restricted circle.

• Reduced social status On becoming unemployed, a person loses a socially accepted position and the roles and self-respect which it provides. They tend to feel that they have moved into a position of lower prestige.

What social mentoring can do? In so far as it increases the chances of return to employment, mentoring can accelerate the restoration of these functions. Many unemployed people will indeed judge its value and effectiveness in terms of whether it leads to a job. In more immediate terms, however, social mentoring can itself fulfil some of the functions. It can however provide:

• a time structure for the working day;

• regularly shared experiences and contacts with people outside the nuclear family;

• links to wider goals and structure;

• a new status and identity (that of ‘learner’) which, while it may not be seen as a full substitute of that of ‘worker’, may nonetheless be preferable to the essentially negative status of ‘unemployed’;

• a stimulus to activity;

An important effect of what we do is to give back to unemployed people the concept of ‘leisure’: because they participate in mentoring activities in the day, they again have ‘free time’ in the evenings and at week-ends as they had at work.

To some extent, therefore, mentoring can provide a substitute for employment. It can also lead unemployed people to develop other substitutes. These may be non-economic: voluntary and community work and leisure activities of various kinds. Or they may involve skills which provide some additional income, and/or can lead in due course towards being able to create their own livelihood through self-employment or setting up a small business or co-operative. More generally, social mentoring can help unemployed people to move out of the isolation which often accompanies unemployment, and to be more fully integrated into the community.

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¹    Mezirow, Jack et al. (2000) Learning as Transformation

²    Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Available Website: http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/SocialConstructivism.htm

³    http://www.jarche.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Social-Enterprise-White-Paper.pdf

⁴    http://www.ifl.ac.uk/newsandevents/latest/the-recession---teachers-and-trainers-make-a-difference