Erasmus+

In our work we are constantly meeting families who experience various difficulties. No matter where the family lives – in an urban or rural area – the help should be as close as possible. Together with our partner Skudutiškis Academy, we started to develop the idea of family mentoring, which gradually gained clearer form over the few years. A family mentor who is in the community has the knowledge and skills to help a family in difficulties or going through a difficult period of crisis. A family mentor can counsel, mediate, teach, share information and provide emotional support. He or she helps the family to discover and use internal and external resources to solve difficulties, as it is equally important to help the family to see hope and “accompany” them during the difficult times.

Erasmus +

2018-2021 we participated in the international Erasmus + funded project “Family Mentor in the Community – competences and readiness for recognition” initiated by our long-term partner Skudutiškis Academy. During this year the goal of the project was achieved: the idea of a family mentor in rural communities was refined, the functions, activities and competencies of a family mentor were defined, guidelines for the development of family mentor competencies and the self-reflection tool for existing and to be developed skills and knowledge were prepared.

Our partners

Our partners in this project are: Skudutiškis Academy (Lithuania, Lead Project Partner), Fédération Regione Familles Rurales des Pays de la Loire (France), Fundacja Agencji Sluzby Spolecznej (Poland), OÜ Vestifex (Estonia), Instituto para el fomento del desarrollo y la formación SL (Spain). All partners have experience in adult education and enable members of their local communities to participate in a lifelong learning process by offering a variety of adult education services. The project brings together partners to find an international definition of the Family Mentor concept and identify competencies needed to find ways to use available community resources providing the necessary support for the family.

The duration of the project is two years.

Project events

Here you can find an article about family mentoring, the scope of activities of the family mentor, how he can benefit the family and the community.

Here you will find an article by psychologist-psychotherapist Dr. Vaida Kalpokienė about the attitudes of professionals that are important when working with the family.

From 29 June to 2 July 2021, Dr. Vaida Kalpokienė, together with partners from Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, France, and Spain, took part in an international distance training course to prepare for the implementation of the intellectual product “4-Step Self-Reflection Tool for Family Mentors”. The partners discussed the application of the self-reflection method for competency assessment in preparation for becoming a family mentor, the adaptation of the competency assessment model to cyberspace. Project partners shared feedback on the testing of new learning tools.

On 17 September 2020, a dissemination event was held in Trakai to present the results of the Erasmus+ international project “Family Mentor in the Community – Competences and Preparation for Recognition “. During the event, Dr. Vaida Kalpokienė, Head of the Vilnius Family Psychology Centre, together with Nijole Butkevičienė, Head of our partner Skudutiškis Academy, presented the family mentor competency assessment model, talked about family mentoring in the community and the path for further professional growth.

14-15 October 2019 PhD Vaida Kalpokiene participated in an international partner meeting in Valladolid, Spain. Family mentor’s competencies and their self-assessment capabilities were discussed and further project activities were planned. At the end of 2019 the “Family Mentoring Competencies Guide” will be completed, presenting the concept of family mentoring in the community, the roles, activities and competencies of the family mentor, as well as methods for their assessment. Based on this guide, an interactive assessment and self-assessment tool is being prepared to help the organization and the prospective family mentor evaluate their competencies and prepare for the assessment.

10-13 June 2019. Head of the Children and Adolescent Unit, PhD Vaida Kalpokienė participated in international training in Narva, Estonia. Here the experiences of the countries and the results of the national sessions were shared with the project partners. Interesting and meaningful discussions were held in developing of a family mentoring strategy, where the definition, activities, roles, and competencies of a family mentor become clearer.

15 March 2019 a national session was held in Skudutiškis (Molėtai district). Here, Head of the Children and Adolescent Unit of our Center, PhD Vaida Kalpokienė, psychologist Julija Davidonienė, partners from Skudutiškis Academy and professionals working with families went into the definition and activities of a family mentor. Summarized data from the national session will be presented at the International Training Week in Narva, Estonia in June, further developing the concept of family mentoring.