NEOmentor, Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme
ZAB Accessibility Services, Bielefeld University, 21 to 25 September 2026
Project work “Plan a program”

Accessible web version of our A1 poster for the NEOmentor poster session on 25 September 2026.

One Message Away

Peer navigators for invisible barriers at the University of Ostrava (OU)

A one-year peer-mentoring pilot (2026/27): three trained student mentors, each one message away for two or three students whose barriers nobody can see.

Barrier: most barriers at OU are invisible, and there is no door for them

  • 187 students were registered in 2022 with Centrum Pyramida, OU’s support centre for students with specific needs. Registration needs a medical or psychological report. (OU annual report 2022)
  • 15 % of Czech students report mental-health problems, up from 7 % in the previous survey. (EUROSTUDENT VIII, 2024)
  • 97 % of students with an impairment in Germany have one that is not immediately visible. (best3 survey, 2023)
  • 30.4 % study failure rate at OU, especially in the first year. (OU annual report 2022)
  • What newcomers told us as Buddies: “I don’t know whom to ask, and I’m stuck alone with it.”

Goal: every mentee has a named peer one message away for a whole year

  • For first-year and incoming students with mental-health difficulties, ADHD, autism or chronic illness, or who are new to the country. No diagnosis or paperwork needed.
  • By June 2027, at least 80 % of mentees are still studying.
  • Two short surveys, after matching and at the end of the year, show how well mentees feel they belong at OU. Centrum Pyramida gets the results for further evaluation.
  • Mentors are a bridge, not therapists: a written referral path to the Counselling Centre and Centrum Pyramida.
  • Builds on the OU Buddy programme, Centrum Pyramida and the Counselling Centre.

What we need: trained mentors, clear rules and no extra budget

  • Money: no additional cost to start. Mentors are rewarded with the OU extraordinary scholarship.
  • Materials: an accessible sign-up form in Czech and English with no diagnosis field, a map of whom to ask for what at OU, a mentor handbook and a code of conduct.
  • Knowledge: a 4-hour training for mentors with Centrum Pyramida and the Counselling Centre: how to communicate with students with specific needs, and when to refer.
  • Time: a monthly 30-minute check-up with the Pyramida coordinator, where all mentors bring their questions.
  • Rooms: none needed at the start. Almost all mentoring runs through a messaging app and email; Centrum Pyramida’s offices serve for occasional meetings.

How we do it: whom we talk to, where the money is, who does what

  • Talk to: Centrum Pyramida, the Counselling Centre, ESN Ostravská, the NEOLAiA and student activities coordinators, and the Faculty of Arts vice-dean for studies.
  • Funding: OU extraordinary scholarships for mentors in year 1; NEOLAiA inclusion and diversity funds and City of Ostrava grants to grow in year 2.
  • People: 3 mentors, 6 to 9 mentees and the Pyramida coordinator for monthly check-ups and referrals.
  • Evidence: peer mentoring builds belonging and lowers drop-out intention (Gehreke et al. 2024).
  • Risks we planned for: a mentee in crisis (referral protocol); mentor overload (3 mentees at most, monthly check-up); personal data (minimal form, deleted after a year).

Timeline 2026/27

  1. October 2026 Partner meetings, referral protocol, 4-hour mentor training on communicating with students with specific needs. Sign-up opens for students registered at Pyramida.
  2. November 2026 Recruitment in first-year seminars. Mentors and mentees matched, kick-off and first survey.
  3. December 2026 “How exams work at OU” session. Check-ins every two weeks.
  4. January to February 2027 Exam period: weekly check-ins, referral to the Counselling Centre when needed.
  5. February 2027 Second intake: incoming Erasmus students and those who struggled in winter exams.
  6. March to May 2027 Check-ins continue. Monthly group meetup at Centrum Pyramida.
  7. June 2027 Second survey. Report to Centrum Pyramida and NEOLAiA: results, possible improvements, issues to address.
  8. September 2027 Hand-over: new mentors recruited from this year’s mentees.

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