Designed by: Chetan Suwalka
Community Action Team (CAT) Member
Nada Young India Network for Good Health
Guiding Lights: How Mentorship Illuminates the Path for Today’s Youth
🕊️ Bridging the Gap Between Classroom, Community, and Civil Society
From our earliest days, guidance from parents, teachers, and elders has played a central role in shaping our values, aspirations, and direction in life. These early mentors serve as the foundation upon which we build our goals. Yet, in the face of today’s rapidly evolving world, traditional guidance—while still essential—often falls short.
The development of today’s youth is influenced by a multitude of factors: complex family structures, societal expectations, economic stressors, cultural shifts, and psychological challenges. Navigating such a landscape demands more than academic knowledge. Young people must be equipped with emotional resilience, ethical awareness, decision-making ability, and critical thinking skills to thrive and contribute meaningfully to society.
And yet, many of us still feel lost.
We are overwhelmed by the pressures of academic performance, career uncertainty, and social comparison amplified by digital media. Our voices often go unheard, and many young people find themselves disconnected—from systems, from society, and from their own sense of purpose.
So, what’s missing?
What we need is mentorship.
🎓 Beyond Instruction: The Power of Mentorship
True mentorship goes far beyond instruction. It is not about telling youth what to do. It is about walking alongside them—nurturing their questions, fostering their independence, and supporting their emotional and intellectual development. It is about building leadership, self-awareness, and a spirit of inquiry.
Over the past three years, I have served as an educational mentor for children from economically and socially marginalized communities. My work has involved academic support, addressing personal and family concerns, facilitating scholarships, and most importantly, fostering a mindset of critical and creative thinking. This has enabled many young learners to achieve higher education and, in many cases, bring about positive change in their communities.
🌀 A Transformative Experience at Nada India Foundation
What made his mentorship truly transformative was his approach: he didn't just explain policies or assign tasks—he inspired us to think. Every conversation was a window into how policies intersect with daily life, how seemingly simple incidents are tied to systemic realities.
One such moment stands out for me. On the very first day of my internship, I called Mr. Vatsyayan to say I might not be able to join because a friend had just met with a road accident. Instead of treating this as an absence, he responded with empathy and insight: “Support your friend, but treat it as your first assignment. Observe, reflect, and we will discuss it together.” This spontaneous gesture transformed my excuse into an opportunity for learning and empowerment.
We later analyzed this incident—a case of a young man riding recklessly on the road. We looked beyond the accident and asked: what if he had access to mentorship, safe spaces, or role models? Could he have been guided toward civic responsibility? Could youth policy provide space not just to punish, but to transform “rowdy” behavior into responsible citizenship?
This moment shifted my perception of mentorship—it was not only about guiding students like me but also about recognizing how mentorship, embedded in policy and community, could reform and uplift others.
🔍 Why the Gap Exists: Classroom vs. Community
In one of our sessions, I asked Mr. Vatsyayan:
“Why is there still such a big gap between what we learn in classrooms and what we see in communities?”
His answer was both simple and profound: because civil society organizations have not yet been fully acknowledged as academic partners.
Educational institutions often treat students as passive recipients of knowledge. They miss the chance to connect them with real-world challenges, where critical thinking and empathy are needed most. Civil society organizations, when given equal recognition in academic ecosystems, can bridge this gap and foster dynamic, socially responsive learning environments.
Thanks to Mr. Vatsyayan, we didn’t just learn—we acted. We were recognized as members of the Community Action Team (CAT), empowered to analyze, reflect, and engage with society through policy advocacy.
💬 A Daughter’s Reflection, A Mentor’s Legacy
A reflection that deeply moved me came from Vindhya, Mr. Vatsyayan’s daughter and a dedicated public health professional. She once wrote:
“My father has been a constant reminder that complaining is fine, but it is never the solution. He has always pushed me to ask questions, but also to find solutions.
Today, I see him spend hours with young people from schools and colleges across India—not because of a donor deadline or project deliverable, but because he feels it’s his duty to empower the youth of this country.”
Her words reminded me that true mentorship is driven not by obligation, but by belief—belief in the power of young people, and a commitment to helping them unlock it.
📚 Mentorship in draft Youth Policy & NEP 2020
As Mr. Vatsyayan often emphasizes, mentorship must be viewed as a core element of both India’s draft Youth Policy and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Though the NEP doesn’t always explicitly mention mentorship, it strongly advocates for holistic education, vocational training, life skills development, and personalized guidance. Similarly, the Youth Policy recognizes mentorship as a key enabler in addressing youth unemployment, mental health issues, and lack of civic participation.
When integrated into education and policy ecosystems, mentorship bridges the gap between knowledge and action, helping youth grow into socially conscious and empowered individuals.
🔚 In Conclusion: Not Just Interns—We Are the Change
From my early experience mentoring underserved children to the profound lessons learned at Nada India Foundation, I’ve realized that mentorship isn’t just valuable—it is necessary.
It is the bridge that transforms isolation into empowerment, theory into practice, and confusion into clarity.
To quote Mr. Vatsyayan, “You are not just interns—you are not only changemakers, you are the change itself.”
And perhaps, even more powerfully: “The term catalyst isn’t enough to describe youth. They are not passive agents. With the right mentorship, they think, act, and lead. They are vocal for local, and global in vision Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”
With the right mentorship, we are not just ready for the future—we are ready to lead it.
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