Minds of Trinidad and Tobago mentors future nation builders

CHERYL METIVIER

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 anyone over 18 can access one-on-one mentorship with one of the organisation’s 15 mentors, referred to as "minds", in the traditional disciplines of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Group mentorship is offered to students aged 13 to 17.

"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 young people, 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 they continue to solicit the support of additional corporate sponsors who are willing to work with the group.

She said they try to offer diversity, and cater to a range of interests with the intention of generating interest among young people, and igniting passion in otherwise uncharted territory. But, she said, "There have been challenges in reaching out to certain groups," namely government schools students because of the bureaucracy governing these schools.

"The response from the denominational schools has been quite the opposite," John said, citing an invitation by the staff of Bishop Anstey Trinity College East to facilitate a ten-week programme with third-form boys, John said this invitation came after school officials saw the work they had been doing with other young people. Also, on a recent visit to Tobago, they were able to provide a mentorship session with some students from Mason Hall.

She said group members are eager to make themselves available to plug the holes that exist for helping graduates from the secondary and tertiary levels to transition more comfortably into the world of employment; and more importantly, to make them aware of the options and opportunities that are available to them. But the difficulty that they have faced in getting into the non-denominational schools have not de-railed their intent.

“We have a lot more red tape to go through with the government schools, but we are not giving up.”

John noted that the culture of networking in TT is not very strong and said it is one of the things the organisation would like to change, as introducing young people to the benefits that can be accrued from establishing and leveraging networks is one of Mind of TT's primary goal.

She said the very genesis of the organisation demonstrates the advantages of networking, as one of the founding members of the TT chapter attended the University of Georgia, Athens in the US with Dr Camir Ricketts, the Jamaican national who established Minds of Jamaica, and was invited to consider starting up the initiative locally.

Last month the organisation hosted a cocktail event that was intended to create a space for networking. In attendance were professionals who are existing members of the team, others whom they are actively seeking to recruit, as well as some mentees. John said by the end of the session, following presentations from UWI's Professor Clement Imbert; director of Legal Services, Office of the Parliament of TT Chantal La Roche; and Business Integration manager at bpTT Simone Mischier, many of the mentees became somewhat empowered to introducing to complete strangers and starting a conversation.

She said the plan is to grow the Minds of TT project so that every young person who so desires can access or become a mentor.

“I would also like us to be able to offer scholarships and paid internships,” she said, adding that if the team is to function optimally more mentors and committed support staff are needed.

For more information visit tt.themindsof.com or follow Minds of Trinidad & Tobago on Facebook and mindsoftt on Instagram.