“It was truly a victory when my student achieved a higher Cito score”

School’s Cool ensures that they can give children who are starting high school a good start. Irma Vejzovic (21) is one of the volunteer mentors who visits her pupils once a week to help them with their schoolwork.Real storiesIt is important that the mentor builds a good relationship with the child, and that is exactly what Irma does. She did an internship at School’s Cool as part of her educational sciences studies and will now continue her work as a volunteer for the next year. “We not only help the children with their homework. As volunteers, we actually become a bit of their buddy and also go out to do fun things together.”

Irma’s favorite part is being able to put into practice everything she has learned in her studies. “Just by being there for them, she already helps so much. You are not alone because from time to time we also have supervision sessions to give each other tips and advice. That’s when you also see the one you are mentoring. You must not forget that some children really have stories that can be tough to handle, but the work has so many enjoyable aspects. I had a student who achieved a much higher test score. That felt like a real victory for me, and together we practiced his songs for the end-of-year school musical.”Patient & assertiveOften, the children start talking on their own. “I often hear that I have a calm demeanor and that children become calm because of it. This makes children talk faster. At first, I was sometimes a bit pushy, but I have really learned to give children more space.” According to Irma, the nice thing about volunteering is that it gives you the feeling that you have contributed something. “For this work, it is important to be patient and assertive. Children often have multiple problems, and you need to know when to intervene. As long as you have the motivation to help children, you are actually suitable for this work.”As a sister or friend“I find it convenient that I am not much older than the children I guide. I can easily relate and recognize some problems that I have also encountered.” The conversations Irma has are mainly light-hearted, and she tries to be like a sister or a friend to the children. When the children trust her and achieve higher scores, it gives her a very good feeling. She hopes that more young people will want to help children in the future.”Are you also interested in volunteering? Check out our range of job vacancies here

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