Support for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses can take many forms, among which mentoring is an important tool for achieving their full potential and independence.
Young people with disabilities and chronic illnesses state that providing guidance, support, and opportunities for their personal and professional development is extremely important because there are rare opportunities for individualized and inclusive mentoring programs aimed at their needs. As a joint initiative of Jamba organizations operating in Austria, Bulgaria, and Hungary, we implemented the Career4All Train the Trainer Academy project, during which we joined forces, created the methodology and educational materials, held training for trainers, and facilitated mentorship programs for young people with disabilities and chronic illnesses from those three states. The project lasted a year and was organized with the support of the Erasmus + program, which supports education, training, youth, and sports in Europe.
The selected future trainers underwent intensive five-week training, through 9 modules, which trained them with skills and knowledge in the field of successful communication with people with different types of disabilities, the approach to empowerment, an understanding of socialization, soft skills training, personal branding, negotiation skills, job coaching, adequate and feasible support in CV/Portfolio creation, job application process, interview preparation, and participation in an interview with the mentee, and successful integration in a new work environment. At the end of the training, 18 mentors were matched with mentees – young people with disabilities and chronic illnesses in order to support them in career guidance, professional development, and the job application process. Mentor Virginia from Austria states that the training and mentoring experience added more value to her professional experiences, and in a personal sphere, it made her appreciate more everything she has accomplished so far. In addition, she says that she realized that mentoring is a two-way process – while she supported her mentee, at the same time she was building her own confidence to work in the field of psychotherapy for people with different kinds of disabilities and needs.
Mentor Anita from Hungary will also implement her new skills and experience into her working context: I have learned a bunch of new and super practical things in terms of how to prepare the HR team of a ‘not yet diverse company’ in order to ensure a diverse talent attraction/ acquisition/ selection process. Upon completion of the project, the trainers are able to conduct training for employers that will help raise awareness in the corporate sector on the topic of D&I, successful communication, and the inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market. Cultivating leadership and communication skills through mentorship can affect both the quality of business decision-making and the organizational culture, so Yoana from Bulgaria pointed out that the Academy gave her insight into a different perspective and ways to improve the quality of life at the workplace and outside it. The mentoring program is an eye-opener and truly inspires me to make key changes in my life scope!
The experiences shared after the completion of the mentorship program show that in addition to providing support and resources for personal and professional development, mentees extremely value the encouragement and sense of belonging they created together with their mentors, as well as help in breaking stereotypes and promoting greater understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses in society. This mentoring program gives me the opportunity to learn new things in a friendly and comprehensive way. The mentor acts as my friend and the help he delivers is much appreciated, says mentee Silviya from Bulgaria. Dimana from Austria agreed with her and highlighted this new experience and the skills she has developed, among which is managing conflicts. The mentees also marked the personal meetings as essential and memorable moments of the process, as is the case with Viktor from Hungary: My mentor was always there for me. She marked my mistakes, very kindly but firmly. She left it to me to correct the mistake, if I did it right she praised me very much. Furthermore, she always just commented and suggested. I took his advice, it was very helpful. For example, I always emphasize the experience I have and (like that) I can deal with my weaknesses.
All educational materials and unified framework for work created within the project are available online on Jamba websites to anyone who wants to learn more and who is eager to start working in the field. The program was held in English, but the organizers provided materials in the official language of the partner country, so they are available in Bulgarian, Hungarian, and German, in addition to English.
Guideline for Capacity Building of Talents with Disabilities
Guideline for Companies – Interactive Communication and Recruitment Methodologies
Career4All Toolkit – Curriculum and Methodology
