From 8th to 10th May 2025, Advenio Further and Higher Education Institution had the pleasure of hosting a truly enriching three-day “Training of Trainers” (ToT) event in St. Paul’s Bay, Malta. This event was part of the AMIF Language Buddy project. Funded by the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (AMIF), the Language Buddy Project aims to bridge educational and social gaps for migrants by fostering connections between HEI students and migrant mentees. Through a combination of training, mentorship, and hands-on language learning activities, the project addresses the growing need for accessible, effective integration tools for migrants in Europe.
The ToT workshop held in Malta was delivered in partnership with SOS Malta, bringing together 24 university students from eight different European countries for a hands-on learning experience focused on mentorship, inclusion, and language education.
Carefully selected by their home institutions, these students were invited to Malta to explore the Language Buddy eLearning platform and course in depth. The aim of the workshop is to prepare them to guide and train their peers, and ultimately support young migrant and refugee learners aged 12 to 17 in their local communities.
Over the three days, participants took part in a series of interactive workshops ranging from intercultural dialogue and social pedagogy, to the role of family in language acquisition and the use of creative tools like art and digital platforms in non-formal education. A number of sessions were also led by guest speakers who shared their own experiences as migrants, offering a powerful reminder of the real-life impact this work can have.
The event opened with a lively ice-breaking session encouraging students to share challenges and perspectives from their home countries. The conversations that followed set the tone for a warm and collaborative atmosphere throughout the event. Training was led by members of the academic team at Advenio, working closely with colleagues from SOS Malta and partner representatives from all eight participating countries.
What the Students Said
Feedback from the participants was incredibly positive. Students highlighted the clarity of the training, the relevance of the content, and the value of the mentoring approach. In fact, 21 out of 24 participants “strongly agreed” that the trainers were knowledgeable and engaging, and most described the online learning platform as easy to use and well-structured.
Many also said they now felt fully confident in delivering the course and supporting future mentors:
“Going through the three-day conference, I feel confident that I can effectively deliver the course to other mentors because of the level of information at my disposal.”
Another student shared:
“This workshop helped me understand the project better and gave me tools to build on my skills as a mentor.”
A Strong Foundation for What’s Ahead
This training event marks an important step forward for the Language Buddy project. Now back in their home countries—Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Austria, and Malta—the student mentors will begin supporting young migrant learners through one-on-one buddy sessions that combine language support with empathy, cultural awareness, and personal connection.
These sessions will be key not only for the mentees, but also in shaping how the Language Buddy model continues to grow. With more than 70 hours of platform activity logged during the training and overwhelmingly positive feedback from those involved, the project is well-positioned to make a lasting difference in the field of intercultural education.
Language Buddy is co-funded by the European Union through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF 2021–2027) and will continue through to August 2026.
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