Grassroots Education Hungary
When E-tanoda Leveled Up – The Story of the First Budapest Mentor Hub In 2018, a new era began in the life of E-tanoda. That year marked the launch of our first “scale-up” project, aimed at expanding beyond the Ormánság region and establishing a foothold in a completely new environment — Budapest. The chosen partner was the Burattino School and Children’s Home in Csepel — a school where most students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, many live in state care, and need extra support in both learning and motivation. The uniqueness of the project lay in the meeting of the rural model and the urban context, where the E-tanoda methodology took on a new form.
💻 Community and Digital Learning Hand in Hand
Within the program, 27 high school mentors worked with 90 Burattino students. The school year began with a two-day kick-off camp, where participants got to know each other and learned to use E-tanoda’s online learning system.
Later, the pairs held their weekly sessions via Microsoft Teams, and the Burattino students’ digital skills improved remarkably — they learned to log in, share files, and collaborate online. The biggest surprise, however, was the success of the gamified e-learning materials. In the school’s computer lab, students competed to earn the most points and achieve a perfect score on quizzes. Game-based learning was not only fun but also brought a new learning culture to the school.
💬 Relationships That Change Perspectives
The bonds formed between mentors and mentees went far beyond learning. Mentors developed empathy, patience, and a sense of responsibility, while the children gained confidence and belief in their own abilities. According to Burattino teachers, students involved in the program became more motivated, open, and engaged in class. The mentees proudly shared at school what they had learned “in the online tanoda/mentoring hub.”
🚀 Path Toward Expansion
This project was E-tanoda’s first major step toward scaling. Based on the experiences gained, the two-tier system that still operates today was born:
- Gamified e-learning for all students – accessible learning materials and community-based study.
- Personal mentoring for the most motivated learners – with regular online sessions.
The Budapest pilot proved that the E-tanoda model can be flexibly adapted to different environments, and that digital, peer-based learning truly builds bridges between social groups.
🌱 A Lasting Impact — to This Day
After the Burattino project, digital learning tools and peer mentoring became an integral part of the school’s daily life. The collaboration not only created new knowledge but also a new mindset: the students no longer just learn — they also teach each other.
For us, this was the moment when E-tanoda leveled up not only geographically but also in spirit — setting out on a journey that today has both national and international impact. And Burattino remains one of the cornerstones of our mentoring network to this day.
