by Gabriella Nurhapy
In April, Kidsave presented its Corporate Mentoring Program at the European Mentoring Summit at Sorbonne University in Paris. The event, titled “Expanding reach, deepening impact: mentoring for facing challenges and empowering futures,” was co-organized by Collectif Mentorat and Mentoring Europe and drew over 400 representatives from 24 countries.
This summit served as a platform for sharing best practices and uniting mentoring initiatives from various organizations. Over three days, participants engaged in various masterclasses and workshops, sharing best practices and approaches while gaining experience from other experts in the mentoring field. The event fostered collaboration among practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers to ensure the quality of mentoring programs.
Speakers included the French Minister Delegate for Children, Youth, and Families; members of the European Parliament, European Commission, and European Committee of the Regions; UNESCO representatives; the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring; and many other representatives from universities, businesses, and NGOs.
In attendance for Kidsave were Tatiana Stafford, Vice President and Director of Kidsave’s work in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Natalia Kravchuk, Head of Kidsave Ukraine. Together, they shared insights from Kidsave’s Corporate Mentoring program, Pathway to Success, which connects older youth aging out of institutional care with successful professionals, enabling them to expand their horizons, develop hard and soft skills, and navigate life beyond institutions.
“The fact that our Pathway to Success Corporate Mentoring Program was recognized among the best mentoring practices and selected to present a workshop to offer valuable insights to the European Summit makes me both proud and honored,” said Tatiana. “I hope that our contribution to the summit enriched knowledge and perspective of all the participants that attended our workshop, visited our exhibit, and learned about Kidsave’s efforts in Ukraine.”
Since its launch in 2018, the Pathway to Success program has successfully engaged over 1000 children from state care in Ukraine. Despite the challenges of the ongoing war, the program has continued, serving 202 youth in 2023 across 10 regions in Ukraine. At the workshop, Kidsave highlighted key program elements and tools used to build lasting relationships with businesses. Our partnership with Boeing was showcased as a prime example of a transformative, long-term collaboration that positively impacts at-risk youth and creates opportunities for corporate employees to engage with young talent.
The Mentorship Summit was also a great networking opportunity for our team to share their knowledge and learn from other leaders as well.
“I feel so reenergized after the Summit,” said Nata. “It was great to see the significant support French leadership and EU representatives provide to organizations involved in mentoring. I believe that one day we will see the same in Ukraine.”
