– We are very grateful, and the donation will benefit many young people, says Tom Pedersen from the association.

Specifically, the money will be used for the production of teaching materials for students in grades 7-9 in, among others, Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality, where the association has helped around 60 children over the past nine years who, for one reason or another, are struggling in school.

– This may be due to academic problems, being school-weary, having issues at home, or having experienced traumatic events such as parents getting divorced, a parent being seriously ill or deceased, explains Tom Pedersen.

The National Association of Talent Scouts is a voluntary, non-profit humanitarian organization established by three passionate individuals in 2010, with Tom Pedersen as the driving force. The purpose is to help young people discover their abilities and talents and to engage them in relation to future education and jobs. The association utilizes volunteer mentors from the business community who want to make a difference for a young person.

– The volunteer mentors hold 24 meetings with the young person, and this is where the teaching materials come into play. It is an extremely good tool, as it details what the mentor and the young person should discuss at each meeting, explains Tom Pedersen.

Talent Scouts have entered into partnerships with a number of municipalities to help children who are not thriving in school. A municipality pays 5,000 kroner for a teaching program, but the actual cost is 8,000 kroner. Therefore, it is important to seek financial support from funds and private individuals, says Tom Pedersen.

– We cannot conduct these programs solely with funding from the municipalities we collaborate with, he says, adding that experience shows that it is very important to connect a volunteer mentor with a young person who is struggling to find their way in life.

– For example, many young people in Randers Municipality were referred to programs that were assessed as not being ready for education. They underwent a program consisting of 24 weekly meetings lasting an hour and a half with a volunteer mentor, and as many as 80 percent of the students were subsequently declared ready for education, says Tom Pedersen, who believes that the good results are due to the teaching materials and the interaction that takes place between the young person and an adult.