The Provincial Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of Seville, through the European Projects team, participated from 8 to 11 of this month, at the headquarters of the partner Support Girona, in the transnational training event of the ‘Digit2Me’ project, to which our organisation belongs, together with 5 partner organisations from countries such as Slovenia, Italy, Lithuania, Germany and Turkey.
The objective of this training has been about digital mentoring for young future mentors of other young people in vulnerable situations in rural areas of the partner countries of the project. In addition, this event has allowed to put into practice the materials developed over the last year, with the aim of improving mentoring practices through the advantages offered by digital media.
One of the most significant milestones of this training has been the commitment of COCEMFE Seville with its own young people with disabilities, who have been direct protagonists of the process. On this occasion, two young future mentors have participated in the immersive training sessions with the aim of acquiring the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to act as mentors to other people with disabilities. In this way, a transformative approach is reinforced that comes from the very heart of the group and that works for and with disability, providing an empathetic and resolute understanding of the complex situations of discrimination and lack of opportunities that we have been denouncing for decades and against which we maintain a firm commitment to action.
Thanks to this, we hope to broaden the scope of our actions, as well as the intervention and follow-up capacities towards our users, thus benefiting both the professional staff of our associations and the future mentors that we will train. This methodology also pays special attention to rural areas, which unfortunately continue to face a worrying lack of essential services to ensure the full development of vulnerable people living there.
For this reason, the Digit2Me project, co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, represents an important boost towards inclusion and the promotion of rights linked to the enjoyment of an independent life, principles that COCEMFE Seville and our member associations strongly defend. In particular, for people with disabilities, this initiative represents a unique opportunity, as it provides accessibility solutions that allow us to overcome the traditional barriers we face, arising from both travel difficulties and economic limitations.
In this sense, it is important to underline the relevance of the strategy adopted by our organisation, which acts as leader and coordinator of the Digit2Me project. The figure of the mentor is essential in the process of empowerment of any person, as it constitutes a reference and a key guide in their personal development. In the case of people with disabilities, this role takes on even greater relevance, as the mentor not only accompanies them individually in the process of self-discovery and design of the life project, but also acts as a first-person expert on the specific realities and challenges faced by the group. By belonging to this same group, mentors establish a personal and professional connection with their users, becoming significant examples of self-improvement and success.
The next steps after the end of this training event will be announced soon. However, as a preview, we can announce that we have already started to transform these curricular materials into a format accessible to all interested audiences by adapting them into a MOOC (open access online course). With this, we aspire to incorporate an even greater number of people who wish to improve or acquire skills in digital mentoring, thus expanding the scope and quality of the personalised attention that we have been offering from COCEMFE Seville.
Our Provincial Federation continues to develop alliances with European entities to guarantee the development and fundamental rights of people with disabilities in Seville and its province.
