From May 8th to 10th, 2025, Advenio Further and Higher Education, a higher education institution in Malta and a partner in the Language Buddy project, hosted the “Training of Trainers” (ToT) event in St. Paul’s Bay, Malta.
This event was part of the Language Buddy project, funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The Language Buddy project aims to reduce educational and social gaps for migrants by creating connections between higher education students and young migrant mentees. Through a combination of training, mentorship, and hands-on language learning activities, the project responds to the growing need for accessible and effective integration tools for migrants in Europe.
The ToT workshop in Malta was organized in partnership with SOS Malta and brought together 24 university students from eight different European countries, including Romania. The Romanian partners in this project are the Centre for Migrant Integration Brașov and the Faculty of Psychology at Transilvania University of Brașov. The ToT, attended by Romanian students as well, was a practical learning experience focused on mentorship, inclusion, and language education.
The 24 students were invited to Malta to explore the Language Buddy eLearning platform and course in depth. The goal of the workshop was to prepare them to guide and train their peers and, ultimately, to support young migrants and refugees aged 12 to 17 in learning the host country’s language and integrating into their local communities.
Throughout 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 learning and the use of creative tools such as art and digital platforms in non-formal education. Some sessions were led by guest speakers who shared their personal experiences as migrants, offering a powerful reminder of the real-world impact of this work.
The event began with a dynamic ice-breaking session that encouraged students to share challenges and perspectives from their home countries. The discussions that followed created a warm and collaborative atmosphere throughout the event. The training was delivered by the academic team at Advenio, in close collaboration with colleagues from SOS Malta and partners from all eight participating countries.
What students said
Feedback from participants was extremely positive. Students appreciated the clarity of the training, the relevance of the content, and the value of mentorship. In fact, 21 out of the 24 participants “strongly agreed” that the trainers were well-prepared and engaged, and most described the online platform as easy to use and well-structured.
Many said they now feel fully confident to teach the course to their peers and support future mentors:
“After the three days of the conference, I feel confident that I can effectively deliver the course to other mentors thanks to the level of information we had access to.”
Another student shared:
“This workshop helped me understand the project better and gave me tools to develop my mentoring skills.”
A strong foundation for what comes next
This training event marks an important milestone 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 migrants through one-on-one “buddy” sessions that combine language support with empathy, cultural sensitivity, and friendship-building with young people from other nationalities.
These sessions will be essential not only for mentorship but also for the long-term sustainability of the project and the Language Buddy method. With over 70 hours of platform activity recorded during the training and highly positive participant feedback, the project is well-positioned to have a lasting impact 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.
