Mentoring is an Art and a Science, waiting to be discovered by a process of trial and commission. This past summer of COVID 2020, 11 Mentors (Class of 2021) were in turn mentored to step up and work with 5 teams to develop a board game in 4 weeks! The lessons are priceless and our young adult mentors were able to reflect on their experience through a series of FB Live interviews with Rathi Raja.
Part 1
Sanjna Kedia
~Virtual coaching has been very gratifying though we struggled at times
~Playing games helps everyone to connect with each other
~Becoming friends with the kids really got them to speak and engage
~It's all about collaboration and compromise at the end of the day
Haritha Lakshmanan
~The key to a good relationship between mentees and mentors is to find a middle ground
~Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is one of the most important things to learn in life
~Everyone's ideas are beautiful in their own way
Preesha Mody
~Virtual communication still has the human touch through it
~No one idea is superior
~A better relationship improves confidence
Part 2
Saniya Gaitonde
~Nonverbal communication opened a lot of doors for kids
~Collaborating and asking for help is less stressful than doing everything independently
~Rather than doing everything, doing what means the most to you is more important
~Sometimes plans do not work out, but coping with that is key
~Being flexible and open to changes is really important
Durva Joshi
~Virtual communication forces us to think outside of the box
~It is important to trust the mentees instead of micromanaging
~Developing a goal early on is extremely important
Tanya Shah
~Different communication methods is needed for different types of kids
~Breaks that are rewarding encourage us to do better
~Being older naturally comes with responsibility and trust
Khushi Shah
~A virtual platform allowed for easy collaboration
~Letting the kids know why they are doing something helps to motivate them
~Once that human connection is established, everything becomes more personal and interesting
~You can’t procrastinate when other people are depending on you
Part 3
Aarya Agarwal
~As a mentor, you should be willing to engage with mentees at their level
~Recognizing when to help and when not to help is extremely important
~Catering to a mentee’s strengths helps them be more confident in themselves
~Being able to take risks and initiatives are key to make a good team
Japesh Shah
~Being virtual allows kids who are introverts to voice their opinions
~Creating an atmosphere where mentees could be honest helped us have more creative ideas
~Giving each kid independence improved our team
Asvin Ranganathan
~Trusting our mentees was more important than micromanaging
~Incentivizing kids that are more quiet to speak up is really important
~Recognizing each mentee’s strengths is vital to helping them grow