Interview with the Balus
Annika Pirnath is 22 years old and is in her fifth semester of a two-subject bachelor's degree in grammar school teaching with art and biology as her subjects. She doesn't live in Osnabrück at the moment and therefore commutes to university. In her free time, she likes to do sports, meet up with friends and, of course, with her Mogli. She has been Balu since mid-November.
Jan Rohe is 23 years old and is now in his fifth semester. He is studying sport and German with the aim of becoming a primary school teacher. In his free time, he likes to play soccer, coaches a youth team and enjoys doing things with his Mogli. Jan has been Baloo since the beginning of November.
What is Balu und Du all about?
Jan: You take on a kind of sponsorship for a child for a year. You are then "Balu" and the children are "Moglis". And then you meet up once a week if you can. It's all about giving the child cool experiences. And to be there for the child, to have an open ear, like a friend. The children who are put forward for the program often don't have it so easy. This can be for a variety of reasons: For example, financial reasons or family problems or that they have recently arrived in Germany.
And you also have a seminar once a week and you get really good support there. And you also learn a lot about educational topics.
Annika: It's also good to know that you can get credit for it, e.g. as an internship or as an event. For example, I have it credited as a component in Education Science. It's simply a win-win situation. And at the end you get an honorary certificate, which is great when you apply for a job later.
How do you and Balu support each other?
Annika: I think it's really cool that you're not left completely alone with the meetings. Balu und Du also organizes various events itself. For example, I've been bouldering with my Mogli for the second time now. In the beginning, I sometimes found it difficult to always plan something cool. But often the simplest things are the best. You don't have to worry so much about it. The main thing is to spend time together.
Jan: By the way, you get 15 euros a month from the project. If you buy an ice cream or go to the movies, for example, you can use the money. There are also lots of group activities, most of which are free of charge. For example, bouldering. Or I went to the North Sea with my Mogli two weeks ago, with a whole bus full of other Balus and Moglis. The whole day was then planned by the project and you can just hang in there. There are also two rooms that you can use: One is a room with a large stock of games, books, sports equipment and everything you need for the meetings. You can also borrow swimming equipment or inline skates, child seats or helmets. And then there's also the team room at a school. There are lots of games, a reading corner and even a kitchen. This is a good location to go to if it's not suitable for Baloo (e.g. in a shared flat) or Mowgli.
Do you want to become a mentor yourself?
On Tuesday, October 29 at 6:15 p.m. there will be an information event in room 15/ E16 (hybrid).
How did you find out about Balu und Du?
Jan: I saw on Stud.IP that Balu und Du was still looking for Balus for five children. Then I saw that one of the children lives near me and that he wanted to do things that I also enjoy. It was a perfect fit!
Annika: A friend approached me because she had signed up for it and thought it would be a good fit for me. I'm a group leader for a youth group and did an FSJ at an elementary school. I really enjoy working with children. And then I thought Baloo and You would be a cool idea to try out other activities and get to know the city better.
Do you often meet other Balus?
Annika: Yes, exactly. So you get to know students from other subjects that you wouldn't otherwise see. And of course it's also cool to get to know the other kids.
Jan: Sometimes we meet up with other teams. For example, there's another Balu who I study with. And her Mogli and my Mogli have already become a bit of friends. That's a cool opportunity for them to become friends once the project is over for us.
And do you stay in touch with your Moglis after the year?
Jan: Well, there was also a former team on the trip to the North Sea. A Baloo and Mowgli whose year is actually already over. Another Baloo was later sent a school-leaving certificate by his Mogli. So these could be really long-term relationships. But of course it doesn't have to be that way, you can do it the way that suits you best.
Do you have a special moment that you associate with your Mogli?
Jan: We went on a bike ride and he proudly showed me his bike helmet. And he decorated it so colorfully with stickers. He wrote our names on the helmet and "best friends" underneath. I thought that was really cool. Yes, there are so many wonderful moments.
Annika: My best moment with her was when I gave her a bouldering license for Christmas. We'd been bouldering before and I noticed that she was really into it. And she's really, really good at it. Then she told me that she used to go bouldering a lot with her father, but that it's more difficult now because she has a younger sibling. And with her bouldering license, she can now go bouldering on her own. Her mom then sent me a video of her crying out of joy. It was really nice to see that such a small thing can make someone so happy.
What kind of activities do you do with the Moglis?
Annika: We mostly do sporting activities because I've noticed that she can work out better then. We often go bouldering and play basketball, and she loves skating. Climbing on the high ropes course or in the Jump House.
Jan: We also do a lot of sports. A bike tour, for example, or we went mini golfing, which he thought was very, very cool. It's generally a nice thing to do for the first time. He's never been to the swimming pool or the movies before. Or the North Sea, he's never been to the sea. It's really nice that you can make something so special possible.
The "Balu und Du" mentoring program
The "formula"
- 1 mentor looks after 1 Osnabrück primary school child on a voluntary basis
- 1 weekly out-of-school meeting
- for the duration of at least 1 year
Aim
- To provide support for children in challenging life situations
- to help them develop positively - despite sometimes adverse circumstances
- to mitigate existing inequalities and promote equal opportunities and educational equality
Location in figures
- Since its foundation 20 years ago, more than 1,600 pairs of students and children have been initiated at the university
- 70 tandems are currently running
- mentors are supervised in 4 seminar groups
- now a nationwide program with approx. 150 locations
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Further locations in Osnabrück are at the university (social work) and Osnabrück grammar schools (integration as a seminar subject)
Isn't that also a lot of responsibility?
Jan: Yes, it is a certain amount of responsibility. I already have a bit of previous experience in this area. But you're really not alone. You can always ask and talk to our mentors about anything. They are always open and take time for everything. That's why I don't think it's a problem at all if you have no previous experience. You have to be a bit of a role model, but I think that's kind of normal. But then you don't have to worry so much.
Annika: I can only agree with that. It's even easier if you already have some experience with children. For example, I'm also involved in her school life. So if she has problems at school, her mom tells me and then my Mogli can get in touch with me and we write privately. But it's not like the responsibility is too great. I think that's really cool about the seminars. Everyone really comes there with their questions and concerns. You talk about the meetings and get tips. You always leave the seminar feeling stronger.
Jan: There are so many opportunities to learn from it, precisely because you get together with so many others again and again and hear their stories.
Annika: It's also sometimes funny to hear what the others are doing and what the Moglis are like.
What do you personally take away from this time?
Jan: What I've taken away is that you always have to be patient with the children. My Mogli was super motivated at the first meetings, but then at meetings three, four and five he was rather reserved and didn't want to leave home at all. That was the first day after the vacations. He had a long day at school and it was really too much for him. Then I told him and his parents that everything was fine. He should just be up for it himself and if we don't meet up, it's no problem at all. And over time, he thawed out more and more. I've learned that if you're patient and relaxed, and even if something you've planned doesn't work out, it's no problem at all. I think every child has their own pace and that's something I can take with me later in my teaching career.
Annika: What I take away is that you don't just give your Mogli a good time, but that we really experienced such wonderful moments together that I found really great myself. It really isn't one-sided. I realized for myself that I tried out lots of things, such as climbing and high ropes courses, that I would never have done otherwise because I'm actually afraid of heights. What you experience with your child is something very, very beautiful - I can only pass that on. And somehow this year went by very quickly. At the beginning I thought, a year is a long time, will I really find something cool every week? But it went by really quickly and it was a really great time.
What advice would you give to others who are now considering becoming Balus?
Jan: Well, for one year it is a bit more effort than another component, but you also have the opportunity to have a lasting positive influence on a child's life. For example, if a child has problems with language or isn't really getting on at school yet and you're there for them as a friend who makes them feel good and boosts their self-confidence, then that can really have a lasting impact on their life. I think it's worth the extra effort. It's also a nice thing to be able to make such a positive contribution.
Annika: There's a study on this. It shows that children from disadvantaged backgrounds really take a lot away from this one year and that you can have a really positive influence on them, including in their dealings with other people. I wasn't even aware at the beginning that this one year can change so much in a child. The children live in their bubble and sometimes it's so hard to break out of it and I think that's really nice for them. And not just for them, but you experience wonderful moments together that stay in your memory.