The mentoring project ‘Balu und Du’ has been running at Paderborn University for 15 years. This is how long primary school children from the Paderborn district have been turning into so-called Moglis and students into Balus. Just like in the jungle book, they experience numerous adventures together and learn new things in the process - for a whole year, the teams organise their free time together. Since the start in 2009, there have already been 425 such teams - and there are now many stories to tell about the project, from scavenger hunts in the forest, cinema evenings, successful or unsuccessful cooking experiments, learning to swim, playing football and rainy afternoons of games and crafts. Above all, however, they are always stories of new, valuable experiences and usually somehow also of friendship.
Just how special these connections between Moglis and Balus are was also evident at this year's summer party. While the teams played football, chased each other around the bouncy castle or turned into tigers and princesses with the help of make-up, parents and siblings were able to eat, do handicrafts or play. ‘It's just nice to see how relaxed everyone is with each other. You can tell that something has grown over the last few months that was only possible through time, attention and shared experiences,’ says Prof Dr Christine Freitag, who brought the project to Paderborn University 15 years ago. ‘15 years is quite a long time. All the better that the project is still running. Especially on days like today, I know why I campaigned back then for ‘Balu und Du’ to exist at Paderborn University. It not only gives our students the opportunity to experience real educational practice, but also to get involved in society,’ Freitag continues.
Even though events such as the summer party are real highlights of the project year, the monitoring of project practice goes far beyond this. The connection to the Institute of Educational Science at Paderborn University ensures both coordination and professional support for the students involved. The participants are closely supported through weekly reflection sessions and additional workshops. This not only ensures child protection, but also links the theoretical content that the students acquire in their degree programmes and other subjects with their practical experience.
Mara Spiekenheuer, who coordinates the project and therefore works closely with the Balus, can confirm that the students also value this experience. ‘When I was sitting with a student for the final reflection, he said to me that, in his opinion, all student teachers should actually take part in it. He had learnt a lot this year about childhood, school, learning and also about himself,’ reports Spiekenheuer. ‘At events like the summer party, you can of course see how happy the children are to spend time with their Balus,’ she says as she watches the football match, where a goal has just been scored for the students. ‘But I also notice big changes in the students during the project year. They become more self-confident, sometimes take a new look at their own school days and the content of their studies and simply realise how much their work matters.’ And that is probably what makes it so special: Despite the age difference, Mogli and Balu grow into a team over the course of the year and not only learn with each other, but also from each other.
In particular, the link between theory and practice makes ‘Balu und Du’ an important project partner for teacher training at Paderborn University. ‘When the project was launched at the Paderborn site, it was impossible to predict how well it would be received by students and schools in the region. Now it has been an important offer for many years and is one of the best-received projects at the university,’ says Dr Annegret Hilligus, Managing Director of the PLAZ - Professional School of Education. In conclusion, she emphasises: ‘Balu und Du is a win-win situation and a real enrichment for Paderborn University and its student teachers on the one hand and the children on the other.’
After 15 years, the focus is not only on the past, but also on the future: a new year will start at the beginning of the semester, for which interested students can now apply to Spiekenheuer (balu@campus.upb.de).
This text was translated automatically.