Background

Look closely, and you’ll find a profound “learning poverty” that marks our world today, as children continue to be deprived of a quality education and professional training. The United Nations’ 2024 report on Sustainable Development Goals notes that a significant population of children across the world, amounting to roughly 58%, experience this. These problems are made worse due to a lack of structural support. In time, children fail to imagine a life beyond their immediate context and give up on their aspirations. 

Financial challenges, a lack of educational infrastructure, combined with social discrimination, and the absence of information as well as networking opportunities are some of the key issues that need to be addressed to ensure that all children, regardless of their backgrounds, are able to access opportunities for professional growth. This is why access to informal peer mentorship and extensive knowledge about diverse career paths is important in order to facilitate upward mobility in children by kindling professional aspirations in them, helping build their confidence, and cultivating their critical and creative thinking skills. 

Professional mentorship programs provide additional support to these children in various ways. Mentorship programs provide mentees with positive role models, from whom they can learn essential life and social skills. Furthermore, effective mentorship programs not only help children from underprivileged communities nurture a sense of belonging as they find a sense of purpose and community, but they also motivate the child to continue their educational and professional journey. 

Xducate thus aims to work towards building an initiative where the aspiring school children from underserved communities will garner real-world knowledge about an extensive range of professional career paths, to kindle in them a sense of ambition and purpose.