Reciprocity and Development in Bicultural Peer Mentoring: Roma Youth Perspectives

This study examines a mentoring program that supports school trajectory through career guidance, in which secondary school students mentor primary school pupils. The program is grounded in critical pedagogy and critical mentoring, with peer mentoring dyads largely composed of minoritized Roma youth. Drawing on their lived experiences, peer mentors scaffolded career guidance, highlighting the importance of culturally situated knowledge. Based on longitudinal qualitative research conducted after the pilot phase, this paper explores the lived experiences of peer mentors, using focus group interviews. It examines differences between senior mentors and junior mentors (former protégés), as well as mentors’ perceptions of the program’s impact on preventing early school leaving. The findings indicate that mentoring is perceived as mutually beneficial, with mentors reporting personal development alongside positive, though nuanced, mentoring relationships. Reciprocity emerges as a central theme, structured around mutuality, credibility, and success. These aspects are closely linked to mentor–protégé similarity and Roma identity. The study contributes to research on biculturalism and critical mentoring by demonstrating the importance of mentor–protégé similarity. While focused on Roma youth, the findings are applicable to mentoring programs involving other minoritized groups.