The benefits of networking and mentorship are far reaching – a concept that is understood by the members of the charitable organisation Minds of TT.
The organisation was formed a little over a year ago and is headed by directors Dr Kelly-Ann John, geophysicist Abigail Maxwell, attorney Lisa Theodore and PhD candidate Rachel Taylor, who are all under the age of 35.
John, a medical doctor, told Sunday Newsday, Minds of TT is the second chapter of an organisation that was birthed in Jamaica, from which the model was adopted. It creates a platform where students and young career aspirants aged 13 to 17 can have access to 15 mentors, referred to as "minds", in the traditional disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
"We strive to develop an empowered and reformed Caribbean, with youth finding their true passions and specialising in diverse fields. Our goal is to be a platform through which we can empower a new generation of professionals who feel equipped and connected to their interests within their country. We know the path to growth lies within the minds of our students and future nation builders," the organisation's website said.
John said the members are all professionals with successful full-time careers who have committed to making themselves and their time available to the nation’s youth, to help to guide them on a path to opportunities for development and success. She said the online platform is available to everyone, even adults, but their target is young people in rural or disadvantaged communities – communities where they would not easily have access to, or have the opportunity to connect with professionals who can directly "sow" into their lives.
“All of us understand the benefits of mentorship and have a heart for what we do, and want to give back,” John said.
She said the value of the connections facilitated by those involved in this programme is both significant and far reaching, and the fact that engagement is online levels the playing field somewhat; since the potential inconvenience of having to source finances to commute to a physical location or acquire resources have been removed from the equation.
Annually, the group tries to host between five and six events; but it intends to continue increasing this number to ensure maximum reach. Among its achievements to date are the hosting of a virtual career day (via Zoom), mentorship Mondays via Instagram live, and one-day ‘observerships’ during the July-August vacation. This year the mentees were facilitated by a few large companies, the Venezuelan Embassy and some individual entrepreneurs, real estate agents and web designers.
For these youngsters, John said, having the opportunity to spend a day with someone whose career they aspired to, and the freedom to have their questions answered has been invaluable. The organisation is also working with existing sponsors to increase the observership period, as well as to increase the number of mentees they are prepared to accept. In the meanwhile, though, she said t
