Intercultural Mentoring Program wins Federal Foreign Office Prize

“The intercultural mentoring program has helped me to feel more at home here in Stuttgart. I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to take part in this program and get to know my mentor,” reports a mentee from India. The program is equally valuable for the mentors in Germany: "Through the numerous leisure activities, you have the opportunity to meet new people you might never have encountered and engage with individuals from virtually every corner of the world. I have learned a lot about other cultures.”

The "Intercultural Mentoring" initiative of the University of Stuttgart has been presented with the AA Prize, which has been awarded for the 45th time. The initiative's core component is the mentoring of international students. This involves experienced students providing one-to-one support and guidance to new international students for a period of one semester. The mentoring tandems determine the topics themselves; the main aim is to clarify any questions that arise in an uncomplicated manner and to gain insight into student life at the University of Stuttgart. In addition, the initiative offers an extensive programme of leisure activities and workshops to help students get to know Stuttgart and the surrounding area. Over 3,500 mentors and mentees have taken part in the program, which has been running for twelve years.

“The award from the Federal Foreign Office shows that we offer an outstanding range of support services for international students, who are made to feel very welcome here in Stuttgart. We place great importance on ensuring that everyone who spends one or more semesters here can focus on their studies while fully enjoying student life in Stuttgart. Such a well-established mentoring program supports and enriches both sides immensely. "I congratulate the International Office and the team behind the intercultural mentoring program on this well-deserved award," says Alexander Brem, Vice Rector for Science Transfer and International Affairs.

"Supporting international students is of great importance for their long-term academic success in Germany. Germany and its excellent universities are the third most popular study destination in the world, and we know that personal support at the beginning of their time in Germany significantly improves the chances of success for talented international students. It is therefore always a great pleasure to honour initiatives of our member universities that are particularly committed to this task," said DAAD President Prof. Dr Joybrato Mukherjee in Bonn.

"The staff of the international offices and the numerous volunteer mentors are often the first point of contact for international students when they come to Germany. They therefore play a key role in shaping the first impression that international students gain of Germany. Their commitment is crucial in ensuring that these students feel at home here, are able to build sustainable personal and professional networks and ultimately also for the image they project of Germany to the world. For this reason, this award is of particular importance to the Federal Foreign Office, and I would like to thank the 'Intercultural Mentoring' initiative for its outstanding work," said Katja Keul, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office.

The Federal Foreign Office is dedicated to making Germany a leading global destination for science and research as part of its foreign cultural and educational policy. The prize for excellent support for international students, which has been awarded since 1998, recognises effective and innovative models of support for international students. The prize is designed to enhance the welcoming culture at German universities and to provide incentives for promoting the interests and concerns of international students and doctoral candidates at one's own university. The prize is presented annually at the DAAD conference, which convenes the heads of international offices from member universities.