The Intercultural Mentoring (IKM) for international students at the UdK Berlin was launched back in 2013. Today, four qualified student mentors work in the team and help new international students to get started with their studies at the UdK, to get in touch with fellow students, to find their way around in the German educational context. Participants in the Intercultural Mentoring benefit twice because their activities in IKM get accredited with up to 4 ECTS points in the Studium Generale module.

The mentees are supported in small groups by student mentors, particularly during the introductory phase in the first semester and, if necessary, until the end of the second semester. The mentors are there to help and advise the mentees if they have problems in everyday life. In the mentoring group, you get to know the “Campus UdK Berlin”, the institutional structures and the university's diverse offerings. You can discover the city's music, theater, art and cultural scene together and discuss their shared experiences. The IKM groups invite people from inside and outside the university. For example, they talk about cultural influences on habits, about life in Germany and in their countries of origin, and about art and politics. The mentees are also encouraged to take an active part in student life at the university, to contribute their ideas and to develop activities themselves.

Intercultural mentoring also serves as a bridge to the cultural studies courses in the Studium Generale module: the cultural theory content is discussed in discussion groups and contrasted with the mentees' own cultural experiences.

In the intercultural mentoring makes it a lot easier for international students to integrate in everyday life of Berlin. With the intercultural mentors the students obtain qualified persons to talk with. With them they can also talk about individual problems. The mentees receive a variety of suggestions and support for their studies as well as for life outside the university. For active participation in the mentor group over two semesters the students earn up to 4 credit points in the Studium Generale module.

The Head of the mentoring program is Flóra Tálasi, at the same time she coordinates the Studium Generale module. She represents the team of IKM and she is the first person to contact for general questions, too. Further on, she is responsible for the qualification, coordination and supervision of the mentors as well as for the content and structural development of the program.
 
Tel.: (030) 3185 2878
E-Mail: sgk_ @intra.udk-berlin.de

 

The Intercultural Mentoring team works in a network with dedicated colleagues in International Student Services/International Office, in the Student Advisory Service, in the Career Service & Transfer Center (CTC) as well as in the four faculties of the UdK Berlin.

Newsletter/Social Media for international UdK students:https://www.udk-berlin.de/service/international-office/interkulturelle-diversitaet/fragen-follow-us/