HSG students volunteer as mentors for young refugees

Caption: The mentors during their training at the HSG's SQUARE.

‘We want to give something back because we ourselves are privileged as students in Switzerland,’ says Sven Schumann. He is a Master's student at the HSG and heads the St. Gallen branch of ROCK YOUR LIFE! (RYL!). This mentoring programme supports young people in nine Swiss locations in various tracks, helping them to choose a career or integrate socially or professionally. In St. Gallen, there are 15 mentors, nine of whom are HSG students. RYL! St. Gallen is also one of around 140 accredited student associations at the HSG. These associations cover a wide range of topics, from culture, sport and business to social issues and sustainability.

Young people from Ukraine and Afghanistan

The HSG students work for RYL! on a voluntary basis. ‘Some of us have a migrant background ourselves and know how valuable mentors can be,’ says Schumann. At RYL!, the HSG students mentor young people with a refugee background, for example from Afghanistan or Ukraine. On average, they have been in Switzerland for around two years and already have a basic knowledge of German.

The mentoring relationship is officially designed to last one year. The HSG mentors and the young people do something together once or twice a month. This could be going for walks, visiting museums, doing sports or simply having conversations.

Life experience thanks to the role of mentor

RYL! provides students with targeted training for their mentoring role: at the beginning of the year, the HSG offers basic training on topics such as communication and potential development. During the year, there are further training courses and reflections on mentoring. In addition, the RYL! mentors meet regularly in St. Gallen for informal get-togethers. ‘There they can discuss questions and support each other if problems arise,’ says Schumann. At the end of the programme, RYL! also holds a debriefing meeting with the mentors, who, like the mentees, receive a certificate of participation.

At the kick-off event at the HSG at the end of April, the individual mentoring pairs got to know each other. Majid (19) says that he signed up for RYL! because he is open to new encounters and wants to meet people with interesting life stories. His mentor, Lukas, is participating for the second time and appreciates the opportunity to give something back to society. ‘I find the role of mentor very meaningful.’ The programme offers mentees a valuable opportunity to make social contacts in Switzerland and to have a contact person.

HSG maintains its own mentoring programme

Master's student Schumann independently recruits volunteers for the programme at the HSG and beyond. Mentoring already has a special status at the HSG: for example, there is the official HSG mentoring programme, in which around 500 HSG students regularly exchange ideas with experienced professionals. ‘The RYL! mentors receive a certificate at the end of the year – but just as important is the life experience they gain through the programme,’ says Schumann. The programme enables them to come into contact with people from other cultures and see other realities of life.