MFL Student Mentoring Project

This project has two recruitment cycles over the academic year: in August/September and December. If you would like to get involved, fill out the Mentor Application form, which is available here for the 23/24 academic year: https://mfl.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4I2yBqXeUbvrRfE (NB: recruitment is not currently active).

For the latest updates on the project and mentor recruitment, see the MFL Mentoring website and follow MFL Mentoring on social media:

• https://mflmentoring.co.uk/

• https://www.instagram.com/mflmentoring/

• https://uk.linkedin.com/company/mfl-mentoring

• https://twitter.com/MFLMentoring

Do you speak more than one language, to any proficiency? Do you like working with young people? Do you think openness to other cultures is important? Then this project is for you! 

The Modern Foreign Languages Mentoring Project places undergraduates and postgraduates from Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor, and Aberystwyth universities into local schools to mentor pupils and encourage them to consider international languages when choosing their GCSE options. The project has also developed a digital programme which connects seconday school pupils and university students online. 

MFL Mentoring encourages the study of international languages at GCSE level and beyond via a programme of face-to-face and online mentoring. They do this by partnering university students with secondary schools across Wales to increase learners' motivation for languages and to raise aspirations for Higher Education. They advocate for all languages, introducing young people to the diversity of languages, cultures, and peoples in our world, igniting their curiosity for language learning and stimulating a sense of global citizenship. 

MFL's Mission: 

• highlight the benefits of learning a language at GCSE, A-Level and degree level.
• broaden the horizons and aspirations of learners by highlighting wellbeing, career and mobility opportunities available to those with language skills, such as working and studying abroad. 
• raise expectations, improve motivation and strengthen persistence and personal resilience of learners studying languages
• create sustainable links between higher education modern languages departments and partner secondary schools
• offer classroom experiences and opportunities to university students, with a view to encouraging a greater number to consider teaching as a possibility 

MFL's Vision

The programme encourages pupils to be curious about all languages and cultures. MFL endorses the idea of a global community as no society is monolingual nor mono-cultural, they aim to demonstrate that globality is a mindset, an outlook and an attitude that is not dependent on actual mobility. It should be open to all, regardless of which language pupils are learning or of their proficiency. By approaching languages in this way, they aim to give pupils agency over their language learning and their sense of personal and global identity. 

Project Structure

• Mentors apply during the summer months and are formally trained during either September or October, or they may apply in December and be formally trained in January for the second cycle of mentoring only. 
• Mentor applicants are accepted from all disciplines. Mentors must have a drive and passion for broadening and opening minds to international cultures and languages. 
• Each academic year they deliver two cycles of mentoring, one six week period during October - December, and one six week period during February - March. 
• Mentors will participate in the delivery of Award and Recognition Ceremonies at their university. 
• Mentors will receive a bursary in acknowledgement of their commitment to the project.