Abstract:

In this paper, we address some of the main findings of the European project: "Front Winners: (re)skilling for mentors with immersive experiences." This project involved a mix of institutions, such as higher education, a research center, a non-governmental organization, and a company focusing on building innovative resources for mentors and their needs concerning teaching young people with disabilities. Henceforth, we selected twenty mentors from the project consortium (ten from Portugal, five from Ireland, and five from Cyprus) engaged in different areas of knowledge - from social sciences to technologies.

Additionally, this target group enrolled in a boot camp program focusing on seven significant subjects:
a) Engagement and learning awareness for students with special needs students;
b) How to prepare educational and pedagogical materials for students with special needs;
c) How to work individually and in a group with special needs students;
d) Adapted ICT tools and business communication;
e) Usage of gamification methodologies and immersive games for better engagement of learners;
f) Personal and professional organization skills and
g) Professional and emotional.

Thus, we aim to showcase some of this project's main findings. Therefore, to analyze this strategy, we will base our data on the mentor's feedback throughout their experience in the boot camp program as the primary method to understand the viability of which resources or materials can prove helpful in learning contexts for students with disabilities. Lastly, the results portrayed the importance of three features that facilitate the training of this target group: Flexibility, Accessibility, and Emotional capacity, as guiding principles to a successful build of mentoring in contexts of this nature.

Keywords:

Mentorship, Reskilling, Training, Personal Development, Technologies.