The 2019-2020 Mentor Program Concludes
Although this has been an atypical semester, the mentors of the UAB have continued to be in contact wih the international students they were assigned.
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This semester has been quite different for everyone, but many of the activities carried out in the UAB have been carried out anyways from home during the state of alarm decreed by the government, including the Mentor Program.
The international students arrived at the UAB in February 2020 with the intention of making an academic stay at the UAB and, in addition to attending courses, being able to know a little more about the students life on the UAB campus. Contact with the UAB mentors facilitates their academic and social integration, allowing them to know spaces, participate in activities organized by mentors themselves and share experiences with students from all over the world.
From the March 13th the classroom-based classes were suspended and for some weeks there have been moments of uncertainty without knowing if the students could return to class or not. Finally the classes were given online. The UAB mentors have been the link between the situation experienced in the UAB and in Catalonia and the international students who had just arrived. They gave information as it was updated, resolved doubts and offered support the newcomers might need, considering that they were far from their families and friends.
On May 14th, we held the evaluation session of the Mentor program, which closes this semester. An online session was held with the 19 mentors who have participated in this second semester. They were able to share their experience and their concerns and doubts to their peers. They made a positive assessment of the activities carried out in the beginning of the semester, such as the trip to the Sitges Carnival and the visit to the human tower group of Sabadell, although other activities could not be carried out, such as a karaoke or a gathering to see the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite the exceptional situation, the program and its participation were evaluated positively and some of them have already completed the form to be mentors in the next academic year 2020/2021.