Discussion with Ioanna Theodorou, Head of Educational Partnerships at 100mentors, Athens, Greece

The teams at 100mentors, an educational technology/tech for good company, are passionate about building a product that empowers students to become the architects of their own future, by developing their critical thinking, international orientation and intellectual humility. 100mentors has created a mobile & web app that allows mentees to connect to mentors from around the world, currently connecting young people from 33 different countries, including 22,000 young people from across the world to over 4,000 mentors, experts, and role models that can answer their questions. 100mentors does this by putting the question and inquiry-based learning at the centre of their mission. They encourage people to ask questions whether this is about career orientation, education and knowledge or as ways of becoming active citizens in their countries and regions. They connect them to mentors that can provide them with answers, insights and multiple perspectives on very important topics, from climate change to education, to exponential technologies, media literacy, fake news, social media, how policy works, how conflict and war are affecting global politics. This shows to 100mentors that there is a society out there, particularly of young people who are very concerned about these topics. The topics and questions are set by the communities that are using the software, while the 100mentors software enables these discussions. 

100mentors have developed partnerships with many various actors, for example with The Tipping Point in Greece and The Prince’s Trust, and stress that joining efforts with partners is a huge advantage to be specialized, have a broader geographic reach, and to achieve common goals. The work of 100mentors helps develop the ability of young people to stay curious, be inquisitive and connect to the world. They started working with schools and have been expanding to non-formal learning environments, where they see a lot more communities, NGOs, and organizations that are looking to connect with mentors or broaden their horizons. Those can be private or public schools, underserved communities or remote areas. They are working to give opportunities to these people to be able to connect to knowledge and role models that they would not have access to otherwise. 

Watch the Webinar - entire discussion with Ioanna. 

To learn more about 100mentors and/or get in touch with Ioanna and her colleagues to explore potential partnership and collaboration, follow this link https://www.100mentors.com