Mentoring project 'Balu und Du' – Time, support, friendship, and counselling for primary school children

This project gives students of TU Dresden the opportunity to look after a primary school child usually on a weekly basis for a period of one year. Many project children come from families in which the parents for various reasons cannot be available for their children as they would like and the children would need it.

The idea for this project goes back to an initiative of Professor Müller-Kohlberg (University of Osnabrück). Since 2002, 7820 Balu-und-Du teams have been placed in 41 cities throughout Germany. Weekly seminars at the university prepare the students for their mentoring activity and offer thematic as well as reflective courses.

On a regular basis, the mentor and the child engage into a pleasant activity that strengthens the personal development of the child. This may be an excursion or a visit to a museum as well as joint handicrafts, reading, cooking, sports or an intensive conversation. The aim is for the child to be supported in coping with everyday life outside their school and home environment through informal learning.

Balu und Du understands itself as a contribution towards a caring and child-friendly society. The academic monitoring that has taken place from the very beginning has revealed both positive changes in the children's behaviour, communication skills, tolerance or enthusiasm for meaningful leisure activities and a perceptible development towards a more competent way of interacting with children among the mentors.