On November 28, EARLALL and EAEA co-organised the final conference for the Erasmus+ REGALE – Regional Capacity for Adult Learning and Education – project. In the conference.
Anne Rudisuhli, Committee of the Regions Rapporteur, Mentoring: a powerful and meaningful tool for the Europe of Tomorrow and Member of the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council, presented a keynote speech on mentoring as a powerful tool of lifelong learning. Ms Rudisuhli’s discourse underscored the transformative power of learning in confronting societal challenges while highlighting the importance of ongoing growth and adaptation. Central to the discussion was the recognition of mentoring as a potent instrument in combating inequalities, fostering individual and professional development, and nurturing social inclusion, solidarity, and tolerance. Ms Rudishli shared the French national experience through Le Collectif Mentorat, an organisation formed in 2019 comprising 73 organisations which develop mentoring programs.
As rapporteur for the Committee of the Regions Opinion on Mentoring, Ms Rudisuhli shared some of its key proposals: defining a common European quality level, regional and local authorities should allocate further funds to mentoring and inclusion programs, including the increase of the ESF+ budget. Finally, she concluded that mentoring is a powerful tool for lifelong learning as it goes beyond formal education and fills in gaps of guidance that other tools cannot.
Following this speech, Elisabeth Verniers, Advocacy Manager at Duo for a Job, a mentoring organisation based in Brussels, shared her practical experience of working with mentoring. Duo for a job began following two observations: that young people of foreign origin had more difficulties in accessing the labour market, and that the experience of those over 50 was not sufficiently valued. With this, the organisation was developed and has matched 6786 Duo pairs. Adaptability is a key advantage of their mentoring program, in addition to the added skills acquired by both the mentors and the mentees.
