This is not a path lightly taken by either UiPath Foundation or its volunteers, it requires commitment, dedication and patience and, above all, an open spirit and a kind heart. All the mentors enrolled in the program  undergo hours of training to ensure their good grasp and understanding of the new delicately balanced situation they are entering, and their readiness to take on the responsibility of a growing mind.

But it is worth it, the feeling of giving back and lending a hand is  like little else in the world. It helps build self-esteem and provides a great sense of achievement. While the  mentors give agency to the children in the program, they, themselves, grow more empowered in their own lives.

The mentorship program is not only aiming at giving the chance for a better start to kids  that come from poor and underprivileged communities. It also aims to contribute to:

•Development of soft skills in children: team work, problem solving, decision making and leadership skill development;

•Encourage children to self-discover their own interests, abilities and career interests.

Relational mentorship – the mentor plays the part of a role model, a guide that opens the world up for the kids.

Project based learning mentorship – aimed at helping the kids develop soft skills like teamwork, leadership and decision making, with the help of their mentors through the mentor’s guide (only in Romania)

Aspirational mentorship – where mentors will help the kids choose and develop actionable career goals and plans.

We strongly believe that all children deserve equal opportunities in life, regardless of their social background, religion, ethnicity or culture. All mentors commit to adhere to and comply with the strict child safeguarding regulations in place, fully observed in all the foundation’s initiatives.

Starting this year, the 2×2 initiative is implemented, meaning that 2 kids and 2 adults are sharing a common meeting, thus ensuring a full compliance to the child safeguarding policy in place.

Before any interaction with the menteed children, all mentors must undergo a training course of 10 to 18 hours (depending on the country of intervention) in Project Based Learning, life skills assessment and child safeguarding.

After starting their journey as mentors (both in Romania and India), they receive constant support and monitoring from our team, from the partner organisation in India, Dream a Dream, and from other specialized organizations, such as Noi Orizonturi (our partners in the design and development of the project based learning mentorship). We organize recurring reflective meetings for the mentors and various procedures in place to ensure that both the mentors and the mentees have the best learning journey together.

Read the Mentor’s Guide to find out more about our Mentorship Program and don’t hesitate to use it as a resource, if you want to implement a similar program.

In the year of the pandemic, when everything drew to a halt, the journey kept on going. The heroes of our story switched their mentoring care to safe digital channels. The kids joined in on tablets and, even though face-to-face interaction was no longer an option, most activities found a way to get translated into digital encounters.

There is opportunity in crisis, with the mentorship program digital shift, while there are, of course, hindrances along the way – like unstable internet connections and the fact that a real-life person draws more focus and attention than the screen but there is an idea to try, to make the best out of a very difficult year all around.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the mentors, volunteers and partners involved in making this entire process possible!