Mentor Our Students

Join the Social Exclusion Mentorship Programme!

SoEx Students 2025

The Social Exclusion and Work-Life Mentorship programme was launched in 2023 as part of the Social Exclusion and Work-Life course, under the Talent Boost programme, initiated by the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM).  The mentorship program aims to connect the Social Exclusion students with experts in fields related to social inclusion, equality, migration, diversity, and community engagement.

Mentorship Goal:

The mentorship goal is to guide the Social Exclusion students as they begin their careers in Finland through a low-threshold, supportive environment where they learn directly from professionals and organizations benefit from their fresh international perspectives.

Mentorship Structure & Duration:

The mentorship programme takes place in March each year, during which a mentor from a partner organization is paired with a student and meets 4 times, once a week for 1 hour. During those meetings, the mentor can share their experience and guide the student(s) with practical tips that would support their career goals. The mentor may also assign the student(s) a small practical task (max. 6 hours of independent work in total). In total, the student’s involvement in the mentorship should not exceed 10 hours.

Mentorship Location:

Meetings can take place online or on-site, depending on the mentor’s preference and location.

Through a successful mentorship experience, the student gains:

    • Guidance on navigating work-life in Finland

    • Insights into organizational practices and career paths

    • Hands-on experience through small practical tasks

    • Feedback and encouragement from experienced mentors

Successful collaborations:

As of 2025, we have collaborated with 12 organizations and 4 PhD researchers in the Turku and Helsinki Metropolitan area. Both mentors and students gave very positive feedback on their experience.

If your organization shares our commitment to inclusion and would like to learn more, please contact:

Islam Sabry, Research Coordinator — islam.sabry@abo.fi