ROCK YOUR LIFE! programme still looking for mentors

ROCK YOUR LIFE! - an invitation with a social background. The Bremerhaven Community Foundation's project aims to promote educational equality and equal opportunities for young people through mentoring. Student Zeliha Cubukcu is involved and brings together mentors and pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The team is currently looking for two to three students to join the organisation team and 15 mentors from the university or the business world. Interested parties can get in touch at bremerhaven@rockyourlife.de.

For over fifteen years, the ROCK YOUR LIFE! mentoring programme has been running for over fifteen years: initially founded as a student initiative in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance and now a Europe-wide social franchise. There has also been a location in Bremen since 2020. The aim is to bring pupils together with mentors. In this case, the mentors are students or trainees who help pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to cope better with their everyday life, school and career entry. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 2.2 million children and young people under the age of 18 were at risk of poverty in 2022. The project aims to build bridges between social classes. The mentors meet regularly with their protégés and help them with career guidance, for example. The pupils benefit from the students' life experiences.

Student Zeliha Cubukcu is now supporting the team and bringing the project to Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences together with the Bürgerstiftung.
The Bremen Chamber of Commerce and the Bremen Chamber of Crafts are also involved.‘I've always wanted to do something with children and young people and help them when they're afraid to ask for help,’ says the student.The programme has been proven to have a lasting effect: according to a study by the ifo Institute, the programme doubles the chances of young people starting vocational training, significantly improves school grades and helps young people to get to know their own values.

Zeliha Cubukcu wants to get the project up and running in Bremerhaven.‘My role is to take on the marketing for the project and present it to schools.I also organise training sessions and events every two to three months where the mentors and their protégés, also known as mentees, can meet and network,’ says Zeliha Cubukcu.Mentors can be adults between the ages of 18 and 34.A commitment of at least one year and a clean criminal record are basic requirements for participation in the programme. ‘At the end of the programme, participants not only receive a certificate that can be used for scholarship applications, but also gain insights into other life situations. As a result, they learn important soft skills and have added value.’

(Text: Jurina Kleemeyer and Nadine Metzler)