Author: Ipsita Sarkar
On 8th August, the Kashmir Education Initiative (KEI) conducted a Virtual Townhall that was moderated by Mr. Omar Hafiz, Program Manager, and Youth Mentor at KEI, to facilitate an open dialogue with Scholars, Volunteers, Mentors and the Board of Directors.
Dr. Riyaz Bashir, the President of KEI announced to the wide audience consisting of about 100 Scholars, Volunteers, and Mentors, that the goal of the meeting was to get familiarized with everybody’s ideas and suggestions, that the entire educational community gathered were like a member of a large family out to make a positive change in society. He emphasized the fact that it was education that was the best and universal equalizer, even amidst conflict and political turmoil.
He introduced the new programs that had been initiated for the Scholars this year-
Firstly, the Super Coach Program wherein every scholar at KEI would be assigned to one mentor, who would also be a bridge to express any concerns and problems, personal or those associated with KEI. She or he would also be connected to one volunteer or office team member from Kashmir itself for smoother communication and assistance. Secondly, the Board would be providing every KEI under-grad scholar, a laptop loaded with educational content, and a learning navigation software called Gooru, for the 11th and 12th Graders. Also, a STEM initiative has already begun to be carried out for the 9th and 10th Graders wherein computer labs would be built for the students in different districts.
The Student Advisory Board (SAB) of KEI and its members were then introduced, with a special mention for Ms. Maheen Akram, the Vice-Chairperson, and Ms. Aiman Banday, the Current Chairperson of SAB for making a huge contribution towards SAB and KEI. Ms. Aiman spoke about the experience of being a bridge between the Scholars and the Board Members, the achievement of being able to better connect with the Scholars and hear out their grievances. Challenges were also highlighted such as the failure to have the Annual Day 2019 due to the Lockdown, despite the hard work and efforts put in to organize it. Ms. Aiman encouraged the Scholars to be pro-active in sharing feedback and announced their plans to have a book club.
Mr. Yunus Fazili congratulated all volunteers for their contribution and recalled how KEI had blossomed from just 2 students to more than 1000 students now. He said that despite the tough external circumstances and the COVID 19 pandemic, he was certain that the educational and the cutting edge technology initiatives planned out would make a positive difference. Omar: Volunteers-mentoring-making scholar lives-how you have been.
Meanwhile, Mr. Riyaz added the 3 Cs important for the Scholars to follow- to be Competent, Confident, and a Contributor. Mr. Omar then speaking about the important role by the Mentor, showed a short inspirational documentary about Tabish Nabi Antoo, a KEI Scholar alumni, showcasing Tabish’s transformation from a humble background, raised by a single mother to becoming a confident and talented girl studying BTech at the Delhi Technological University aided by the support and belief of her mentor.
The Scholars then addressed their queries and shared their concerns regarding Volunteering, Mentorship, and Global Scholarships with the Board Directors. Dr. Riyaz encouraged the Scholars who wished to volunteer, to engage in different and simple ways, so as not to interfere with their study routines. He also added that one need not be a Scholar to volunteer or mentor, giving the example of Mr. Khurshid, a senior Mentor at KEI, who had also recently conducted a session on Cracking the Civil Service Examination. There was also a request from Scholars to conduct more sessions on Photography.
Mr. Omar and Mr. Yunis then spoke about global opportunities for the KEI Scholars and showcased a short film on the accomplishments of the KEI Scholar, Ms. Asiya Khursheed. Ms Asiya had attended the Miracle Corners of the World (MCW) Young Leaders Program in New York. The 2-minute documentary showed how the MCW Program had helped her broaden her vision, make friends from diverse cultural communities across the world, and emerge as an agent of positive change. She utilized the platform provided by MCW to share her views on how to make communities a better place, especially for the marginalized ones. It was indeed a grand opportunity for KEI Scholars.
Dr. Riyaz added that he encouraged the participation of the volunteers during the interactive sessions and upon the completion of the stipulated time, volunteers would be receiving a letter of appreciation. Replying to Farheen, a mentor’s query, he also said that a structured training session was being put together for the mentors for smoother work operations. Mr. Yunis responded to Priyanka’s concern about a Scholar’s financial constraints and said that in case of dire circumstances, a financial aid system could be put into use. He added that the Mentor-Mentee support should be well documented and on an approval basis.
Mr. Omar highlighted how a Mentor could be a great resource for Scholars in multiple ways. He quoted the instance of the amazing role played by Ms. Abida Khan in arranging and sending books with a beautiful letter of encouragement for her mentee, Ms. Iram Seher who faced poor internet connectivity in her locality, thus faced a challenge while studying.
The Session concluded with Mr. Yunis asked the volunteers, mentors, and scholars to prepare a list of suggestions on the improvements that they would like to see going forward and the possibility of KEI opening regional centers across Jammu and Kashmir.