Faced with a plethora of options, many youngsters are often confused over what stream or skills they should pursue for a successful career. To help students find their calling, over 250 children of various child care institutions (CCIs) from several districts of Karnataka received career counselling from industry experts in Bengaluru on Monday, February 6, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
This is the first time that such an activity was conducted for vulnerable and underprivileged groups who are either orphans, disabled, children who have committed petty crimes or been through sexual atrocities and are in observational homes (earlier called remand homes).
Generally, these children have no access or opportunity to interact with individuals who can provide them with professional guidance. NGO Mind and Matter, in collaboration with the Directorate of Child Protection (ICPS) and Department of Women and Child Development, organised the career guidance programme, wherein, 40 industry professionals such as vice-presidents and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of leading multi-national corporations (MNC)s, founders, engineers and entrepreneurs, interacted with students.
Short sessions were also organised to expose students to unconventional fields with filmmakers, psychologists, dancers, singers, artists and architects to introduce them to new fields.
How the counselling went
Children were divided into small groups with each group having its own panellists to give individual attention to their interests and questions. Volunteers from the organisation who are trained with the Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), conducted activities to assist children in building their psycho-emotional and social competencies.
This programme also introduced the children to mindfulness meditation to help them understand their interests and the actions they need to take to make their dreams a reality.
“Children were particularly interested in knowing about entrepreneurship and enlisting in the Army. They had several questions on how to get financial support if they wanted to pursue higher education. Usually, these children are confined to a space in CCIs and don’t have much interaction with those who can guide them. Several psychologists also took sessions with them on how to manage exam stress and deal with anxiety,” said Anu Subbappa, Mysuru coordinator, Mind and Matter. She added that the event was organised as these 250 children will soon appear for their Class X or second Pre-University Certificate (PUC) exams.
"We understood from the seniors and the various activities that if we push our limits and go out of our comfort zone, we can achieve a lot more than we imagine,” said a Kriti (name changed) who will attend her second PU exams in a few months.
The government offers children from the CCIs an aftercare programme to support individuals who join the mainstream after completing 18-21 years and in special cases up to 23 years. It helps them continue their studies through financial support, employable skills, and to become financially independent.
“We have never been exposed to something like this before. All the sessions were so different and helpful to understand different career options,” said Ashish (name changed), who will appear for Class X exams.
