Inspired by our International Success Bridging the culture gap and Get connected initiatives, a number of our Indian staff have set-up a networking/mentoring group to support students from the Indian sub-continent.
We recognise and respect the ‘leap of faith’ our international students make when committing to study in a new country – this can be difficult. The group will focus on how they help with this ‘settling-in’ period, taking the opportunity to manaaki, ‘take care’ of our students and share the responsibility of providing them with any support they need.
The first event for our Indian students and staff will be on Tuesday 3 September. The informal meeting will provide everyone with an opportunity to connect face-to-face, share conversation, ideas, experiences and provide guidance, while enjoying some light refreshments.
‘It takes a village to bring up a child’
Outcome 6 of the Education (Pastoral care of International students) Code of Practice recommends proactive support and cultural awareness as good practice for our staff. The mentoring group will also be able to potentially assist with identifying signs of distress in a student or if something is just not right but we all need to engage in supporting our international students – it’s a community effort.
The more interaction we provide, whether through an event like this mentoring gathering, or just by being mindful in our day-to-day student interactions, the more likely we’ll be able to proactively identify and assist any students who are feeling challenged and need help.
Join the Indian mentoring group or come along to their first session
Please email Nirmala D’Souza if you would like to attend the first session of our Indian student and staff gathering on the 3 September.
Would you like to mentor a student cultural group?
International Success are keen to develop a database of mentoring staff across Unitec. In conjunction with Learning and Development, they plan to create a mentoring workshop to provide staff with the relevant expertise to become talented mentors. If you’d like to get involved, contact Tracy Chapman – International Success.
Namaste, namaskar