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About TEEI

Who is TEEI?

We’re The Educational Equality Institute (TEEI), a nonprofit that widens access to education and opportunity. Our mission includes girls and women, and people affected by war and displacement. Our education programmes currently support Ukrainians and women from Latin America and the Caribbean through language practice, skills training, mentoring and community. We’re registered in Norway as an association, org 928 776 719. In the United States we’re The Educational Equality Institute Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity.

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Who is TEEI?
We’re The Educational Equality Institute (TEEI), a nonprofit that widens access to education and opportunity. Our mission includes girls and women, and people affected by war and displacement. Our education programmes currently support Ukrainians and women from Latin America and the Caribbean through language practice, skills training, mentoring and community. We’re registered in Norway as an association, org 928 776 719. In the United States we’re The Educational Equality Institute Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity.
Is it free to take part?
Yes. Learners take part at no cost, volunteers give their time, and companies can involve their employees and use CSR Cockpit at no cost. Donations, grants and partners who contribute courses and technology fund programme delivery.
Who does TEEI support?
Girls and women, and people affected by war and displacement. Today TEEI Language is open to people from Ukraine and to women from Latin America and the Caribbean. TEEI Mentorship is open to anyone building their next career step. All our current programmes are for adults, 18 or older. Each programme page explains who it’s for and how to join.
What does “Pathways to Independence” mean?
It’s our motto. It means helping you build the knowledge, skills and connections to make your own choices. Your next step might be more confidence, further study, work or a stronger sense of connection. You decide what progress means for you.
How do the programmes run?
Online, so you can join from wherever you are. In TEEI Language you practise with a volunteer one to one, or in small groups such as speaking clubs. In TEEI Mentorship you meet a mentor one to one, or in a small mentoring group. Both run on live video in your browser, with nothing to install. Language courses are online classes with a volunteer teacher. Skills Academy combines self-paced learning with live sessions led by instructors. Learners can access DataCamp courses and selected Google Career Certificates through Coursera, and explore the live classes, workshops and expert sessions available to them.
Who runs the programmes?
Volunteers lead the sessions: conversation partners, mentors, Skills Academy instructors and teachers from around the world. Our team runs the platforms, screens volunteer applications before volunteers can be booked, and leads safeguarding.
How is TEEI funded?
Donations and grants fund programme delivery. Partners contribute courses, learning materials and technology, and volunteers give their time. You can support the programmes on our donate page.
  1. 01
    Education
  2. 02
    Health Equity

    Work that helps people understand their own health information, and on patients’ rights under the CRPD and the GDPR.

  3. 03
    Research

    Research on education, equality, health equity, AI methods, cognitive accessibility and ESG measurement.

  4. 04
    Advocacy and Policy

    Public education on rights, access and policy, informed by research and programme experience.

    • Children’s rights
    • Girls’ rights
    • Refugee rights
    • Patient rights
    • Data protection
    • ESG standards
  5. 05
    Compliance

    CSR Cockpit: a free workspace where companies follow the activity recorded for their people as volunteers, mentors and Skills Academy instructors.

What are the five programmes?
They’re set out in the bylaws of our US organisation: Education, Health Equity, Research, Advocacy and Policy, and Compliance. Education is where people join as learners and volunteers, through language practice, mentoring and skills training. Health Equity works on health information and patients’ rights. Research studies education, equality and health. Advocacy and Policy uses that research and our programme experience for public education on rights and access. Compliance is where companies take part, through a free workspace called CSR Cockpit.
What is in Education?
Education covers our learning programmes. TEEI Language lets you practise speaking with a volunteer you choose, one to one or in small groups. TEEI Language Courses are online classes with a teacher. In TEEI Mentorship you choose a mentor by their experience. Skills Academy combines self-paced courses with live sessions led by instructors, and Upskilling and Employment offers free courses in fields where people are hiring. They run under Together for Ukraine and TEEI Women. The Women Buddy Programme matches a woman who is new to a country with another woman who has been there.
What is Health Equity?
Health Equity helps people understand and act on their own health information, and works on patients’ rights under the CRPD and the GDPR. One Connection, one-to-one peer support for people going through cancer, is open for sign-up now, and its sessions start after launch. Health Equity doesn’t provide diagnosis, treatment or emergency care.
What does Research do?
Research studies education, equality, health equity, AI methods, cognitive accessibility and ESG measurement. Our first public study, on learner language, has its own page describing the pilot. Its materials and data are planned for its first full release.
What is Advocacy and Policy?
We use research and programme experience to inform our positions on rights, access and public policy. The focus areas are children’s rights, girls’ rights, refugee rights, patients’ rights, data protection and ESG standards. The work is educational: as a 501(c)(3), we take no part in election campaigns or party politics.
What is Compliance?
Compliance is where companies take part. In CSR Cockpit, a free company workspace, a company brings employees into TEEI Language, TEEI Mentorship or Skills Academy. It can also contribute as a learning provider. The workspace organises their participation and produces a report for any month from the sessions and hours recorded.
Which programmes can I join?
To learn: TEEI Language, TEEI Language Courses, TEEI Mentorship, Skills Academy, and Upskilling and Employment, each with its own requirements. To volunteer: become a conversation partner, a mentor, a Skills Academy instructor or a teacher. Companies take part through a free partnership. In Health Equity, One Connection is open for sign-up ahead of its launch.
What happened to the earlier Ukraine programmes?
From 2022, alongside the work that continues under Together for Ukraine, we ran seven other programmes. They included the Online Ukrainian School, Recovery Camps, Books for Kids and Youth Programmes. The others were the University Support Programme, TEEI Open University and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme. These programmes have finished, and our impact page lists them.
Learners
Is it actually free?
Yes. Learning with us is free: no fees, no card and nothing to upgrade. Our volunteers give their time to lead the sessions.
Who can join?
All our current programmes are for adults, 18 or older. TEEI Language is for people from Ukraine and for women from Latin America and the Caribbean. It goes by where you’re from, not where you live now. TEEI Mentorship is open to anyone building their next career step. Skills Academy has its own applications, and each one says who it’s for. Anyone else can create a TEEI Language account, which is kept on the waiting list without booking access.
How do I arrange a session?
In TEEI Language, finish your short profile first. Then open Browse volunteers, pick someone whose languages suit you and choose one of their open times. Some times confirm at once. Others are requests the volunteer accepts, and those need to be at least 24 hours ahead. In TEEI Mentorship you browse mentors by their experience and request a session. A new account can hold a few sessions at a time, and the limit rises as you complete them. When your first session happens depends on who has time free.
What if my volunteer or mentor doesn’t show up?
Stay in the video room for at least five minutes, so the platform records that you joined. If your volunteer or mentor doesn’t come, book another time; the missed session doesn’t count against you. If the record looks wrong, send the date and time through the support chat on the platform, and our team will check it.
Can I choose someone else?
Yes. You can book a different volunteer or mentor for any session.
Do I need to speak English already?
No. TEEI Language works in English, Ukrainian, Norwegian and Polish, and you practise with a volunteer who speaks a language you share. Each profile shows the languages a volunteer offers and at what level. If nobody is listed for your language yet, check back as new volunteers join. TEEI Mentorship’s pages are in English, so choose a mentor you can talk with comfortably.
What are TEEI Language Courses?
Free online language classes for people from Ukraine and for women from Latin America and the Caribbean, in a group led by a volunteer teacher. Classes run live on our own video platform, with course material from Oxford University Press and itslearning for assignments and progress. To practise speaking one to one instead, choose TEEI Language.
How do I join a language course?
Apply with the language you want to learn and your current level: from Ukraine, or as a woman from Latin America or the Caribbean. We place you in a group for that language and level as soon as one has a teacher and a free place.
Can I use this from inside Ukraine?
Yes. TEEI Language and TEEI Mentorship run in your browser, so all you need is an internet connection, a camera and a microphone.
What do I need to take part?
A device with a camera and a microphone, an internet connection and a web browser; Chrome or Firefox work best. There’s no app to download, and you can add the platform to your phone’s home screen. You sign in through an email we send you. Free courses from partners use their own accounts. Coursera asks for an account on the same email address. For DataCamp, our team adds you to our group, and DataCamp emails you when your access is ready.
Чи можу я писати українською?
Так. Напишіть нам через контактну форму; ми відповімо.
TEEI Women
What runs for women today?
Women from Latin America and the Caribbean, aged 18 or older, can join TEEI Language and TEEI Language Courses as part of TEEI Women. TEEI Mentorship is open to anyone building their next career step, and Skills Academy has its own application for women. The Women Buddy Programme is open to women across Latin America too: a woman who is new to a country, matched with another woman who has been there.
I’m a woman outside Ukraine. Can I join now?
If you’re from Latin America or the Caribbean, yes. Start with language courses, career mentoring or skills training. TEEI Mentorship is open to adults from anywhere. From another country, you can create a TEEI Language account, which is kept on the waiting list.
How can I get involved as a partner, mentor, or supporter?
Companies and sponsors can explore partnerships. If you’d like to mentor or volunteer, you can become a volunteer. And if you’d like to give, you can support our women’s programmes on the TEEI Women donation page.
Where can I read about your mission?
On our about page. You’ll find each programme in detail on our Education page.
Volunteers
How much time do I need to commit?
As much as suits you. In TEEI Language and TEEI Mentorship you open the times you’re available, with no minimum. Teaching and Skills Academy roles describe their own commitment. Please keep the sessions you confirm; a learner has planned around them.
Who will I support?
In TEEI Language, adults practising a language: people from Ukraine, and women from Latin America and the Caribbean. In TEEI Mentorship, adults taking their next career step, many of them Ukrainians rebuilding their careers. In Skills Academy, people learning practical skills in small live groups. You can help from any country. In TEEI Language you can choose in Settings whether your times are open to everyone or to learners from Ukraine only.
Do I need teaching or mentoring experience?
You don’t need a teaching qualification to be a conversation partner. You should be comfortable speaking the language you offer, patient and willing to help someone practise. Mentors share the experience of their own career. Teachers and Skills Academy instructors have their own requirements, listed with each role. Volunteers are 18 or older, and we screen each application before a volunteer can be booked.
Can I teach a language course?
Yes, if you have taught before. Our volunteer teachers lead a small online class two or three times a week, for eight to twelve weeks. The curriculum draws on Oxford University Press and Babbel. You need real teaching experience, in a classroom, as a tutor or as a trainer, and fluency in the language you teach. A TEFL or CELTA helps, but you don’t need one. Apply to teach.
What if I need to cancel a session?
Use Cancel session in My sessions, as early as you can. You’ll choose a reason, and the learner is told straight away so they can book another time. A message on its own doesn’t cancel the booking.
What if a learner doesn’t show up?
Stay in the video room for at least five minutes, in case they’re running late. If they still don’t come, you can leave. Once the session has ended, open it in My sessions and choose Report attendance issue, and our team checks it against the video-room record.
What if I don’t know how to help with something?
Share the experience you have, and ask our team for support when something falls outside your role. You can reach us through Message the team on the platform.
How do I know this is legitimate?
Our transparency page brings together our registrations, filings and policies. We’re registered in Norway (org 928 776 719) and in the United States as a 501(c)(3) (EIN 33-2331817). TEEI Language and TEEI Mentorship run on our own platform, which our team builds and runs.
Partnerships
What does a partnership cost?
Nothing. Companies can involve employees in TEEI programmes and use CSR Cockpit to organise and report their participation at no cost. TEEI runs the programmes, and your company contributes employee time and expertise.
How does a company get started?
Apply for a free workspace. Tell us about yourself and your company and confirm your work email. We review every application before your workspace opens. Then you share each programme’s sign-up link with the colleagues who want to take part, and they create their own accounts.
Which programmes can our colleagues join?
Your colleagues can support language practice through TEEI Language, offer career guidance through TEEI Mentorship, or teach practical skills through Skills Academy. In Skills Academy, they take part as instructors. A company can also contribute as a learning provider, offering classes and workshops, and as a corporate volunteering partner. Each role has its own sign-up and review.
Is there a limit on how many colleagues can take part?
No. Any number of your employees can take part, and each goes through the review for their role before they’re booked with learners.
How much time does it take from each colleague?
As much or as little as each person likes. They choose the times they open up, and there’s no minimum.
How are learners and colleagues kept safe?
Each employee goes through the review for their role before they can be booked. Sessions take place on our platform, where contact details stay private and anyone can report a concern to our team. Sessions aren’t recorded, and we process personal data under the GDPR.
Are you on Benevity, YourCause, CyberGrants, or Alaya?
Yes, on all four. Search for “The Educational Equality Institute” or EIN 33-2331817. If you can’t find us on your portal, write to us and we’ll register.
CSR Cockpit
What is CSR Cockpit?
Your company’s free workspace with us. From it you share programme sign-up links with employees, follow the sessions and hours recorded for them, and download a report for any month.
Can I see it before applying?
Yes. Our demo workspace is a filled-in example company you can open without an account. The company is fictional, and the demo includes a few screens beyond what partner workspaces contain.
What do reports cover, and are they audited?
Reports cover the sessions and hours recorded for your company in a given month. You can view them in the workspace at any time and download them as PDF or CSV; they aren’t sent automatically. They document participation, and they aren’t independently audited disclosures or a certification against a reporting standard.
How are hours matched to our company?
By email address. A colleague’s sessions count for your company when the email on their programme account matches an employee in your workspace. Employees are added when they accept an invitation from your workspace, or through an employee list you import. For one-to-one sessions, we count the time both people were connected, from five minutes up. When a colleague teaches a Skills Academy class, the class counts once for them, however many learners join. If activity is missing, check that your colleague uses the same email in both places, then write to csr@theeducationalequalityinstitute.org.
Can we use single sign-on or connect our HR system?
Employees can join through the sign-up links you share, so neither is required. To match employees automatically, an administrator can connect your HR system through our integration partner, Merge. They can also upload an employee list as a CSV file. The connection is authorised with your HR system’s own sign-in, and nothing is imported until an administrator sets it up. Ask us which HR systems are supported before you plan around one. Single sign-on is set up together with our team.
What does our company see about colleagues?
Managers in your workspace see each matched employee’s name, programme, and the sessions and hours recorded for them. CSR managers can export named lists; other roles export totals. Your workspace is visible only to your company and to the TEEI staff who run and support the service. CSR Cockpit doesn’t receive session conversations, messages or recordings. A record can include short feedback a learner gave about a session.
What do colleagues who take part see?
Colleagues take part through their own TEEI Language or TEEI Mentorship accounts, where they see their own sessions. If your workspace invites them, they can also sign in to your company’s employee portal. There they see their own hours and a list of colleagues with their hours, unless someone sets their profile to private. The portal doesn’t give them access to the manager workspace.
Governance
Who governs TEEI?
Each of our two organisations has its own board. In Norway, The Educational Equality Institute is an association governed by a board of three, recorded in the Brønnøysund Register Centre. In the United States, The Educational Equality Institute Inc. is governed by a board of four directors under its bylaws, listed on our transparency page. Our directors are not paid.
Do you publish accounts?
In Norway, our association files annual accounts with the Brønnøysund Register Centre; the most recent on file cover 2023. In the United States, The Educational Equality Institute Inc. files Form 990-N, the annual electronic notice for small nonprofits; the latest is for 2025. Neither is an audited financial statement. We hold Candid’s Platinum Seal of Transparency for 2026, which reflects how complete our Candid profile is.
How do you count impact?
Every figure we publish comes with its definition, the period it covers, its source and the date it was read. You can see them all, and how each was counted, on our impact page.
Who are your partners?
Oxford University Press gives books and teaching and learning materials, and itslearning a place to run courses. Babbel gives language learning content, and DataCamp learning access through Skills Academy and DataCamp Donates. You’ll find them and others on our partners page.
How do you handle safeguarding and data?
We screen every volunteer application before volunteers can be booked, and volunteers agree to keep clear, professional boundaries. Sessions take place on our platform, where contact details stay private and anyone can report a concern to our team. We process personal data under the GDPR, as our privacy policy explains, and our safeguarding policy tells you who to contact.
Are sessions recorded, and who can see session information?
No. We record who joined a session and for how long, but not the audio or video. Live captions are available when both people agree, and they aren’t kept. Only the learner or mentee who booked a session can save its transcript, to their own account. The volunteer or mentor you book sees your name, goals, time zone and booking message, and our team sees attendance records to run the service. If you volunteer through your employer, your company sees your name, programme, sessions and hours, and you can withdraw from that in Settings.
How do I report a safety or privacy concern?
On the platform, open Safety options on a profile, a booking, a message or the video room and choose Report. It goes to our team, and the person you report isn’t told. You can block someone from the same menu. You can also email safeguarding@theeducationalequalityinstitute.org about safety, or privacy@theeducationalequalityinstitute.org about your personal data. In an emergency, contact your local emergency services first.
Contact
How do I choose the right TEEI programme?
If you’re from Ukraine: TEEI Language to practise speaking, TEEI Mentorship for your career, Skills Academy for new skills. If you’re a woman from Latin America or the Caribbean, the same three, starting from our pages for women. If you’d like to help, choose a volunteer role. And if you’re a company, explore partnerships.
I emailed and haven’t heard back. What should I do?
First, check your spam folder. If there’s nothing there, write to us again through the contact form and mention your first message, so we can find it.
How do I contact you?
Through the contact form. Tell us whether you’re a learner, a volunteer, a partner or a donor, and we’ll pass your message to the right person on our team.
Where do I find registration numbers, filings and policies?
Norway: org 928 776 719. United States: The Educational Equality Institute Inc., 501(c)(3), EIN 33-2331817. Our registrations and filings are on our transparency page, and we hold Candid’s Platinum Seal of Transparency. Our policies: accessibility, privacy, safeguarding and terms.

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