Through our mentorship program we pair High School Scholarship Program scholars [mentees] with successful individuals [mentors] from varied educational backgrounds and areas of expertise. It is expected a mentor-mentee relationship forged in a methodical way will inspire, guide, motivate and support bright KEI Scholars as they strive to achieve their potential. Our mentorship pilot started in Nov
2012 with the realization that guidance is as important as financial support for helping our scholars realize their potential. A need-finding survey validated our impression. 16 scholars were selected based on levels of mentorship needed. We got a diverse group of boys and girls from different districts and grades. The pilot’s success led us to launch a full-fledged program. Our evaluation showed that both mentees and mentors benefited. Scholars got to learn from people from all walks of life and were eager to interact with their mentors (typically once a week). The mentors, volunteers from USA, UK and Kashmir, were thoroughly screened and matched to mentees based on profiles and preferences. We facilitate interaction at mutually agreed times. Modes of interaction are diverse - Skype or other video calling, text chat, in-person meetings, and phone calls. Mentoring and counseling is also made available to scholars beyond the high school level, for example to PDS scholars applying for admission to graduate programs overseas.
