Making An Impact – Introducing Team SAP To The Mentor India Experience
This month, SAP SE and Team KnowYourStar joined forces to conduct the Mentor India programme for underprivileged students in Bangalore. Today, Pranita and our SAP volunteers have shared their Mentor India experiences with us.
Mentor India is a success today because of the tremendous support we have received and continue to get from a lot of people – from friends and family members who have volunteered to corporates that have taken a chance on us. This month, CSR team from SAP Labs India partnered with Mentor India to impact underprivileged students in Bangalore as part of their Month of Service initiative.
We taught three sections of class 8 students in St. Xavier’s School in Shivaji Nagar, Bangalore, supported by the HOPE foundation. We conducted 5 sessions with each of the classes, bringing in a new team from SAP every day. The students were thrilled and would look forward to seeing new faces each day.
The students would wait for us to enter the class. Later, the class teachers and the headmistress told us how much the kids had been enjoying the experience. What amazed them was how the students were having fun and learning at the same time. They loved our approach to teaching and insisted we come and conduct similar sessions for other classes as well. The students became quite attached to our classes, and on the last day, some of them even wept. They asked us to keep teaching and to come back again – and the feeling was completely mutual!
The mentors all came beautifully prepared for the module they were assigned and added their own unique touches and styles of delivery to the mix. Each and every one of them has made an impact on the students. And in addition to that, the mentors had lovely learning experiences as well. Some of them have shared their thoughts with us:
K Narsingh Subudh:
Being a part of SAP CSR team, it was a great opportunity to work with KnowYourStar on their Mentor India programme.
In our day-to-day work life, we find ourselves wondering whether it is possible to give back to society. But forums like KnowYourStar and programmes like Mentor India give you a great platform to do your part for society. I was a part of the youth upskill programme conducted by the Month of Service section of the SAP CSR team. We, as a group, went to St Xavier’s School, Shivajinagar, to interact with students over there.
It was a superb experience to talk with the upcoming youth of India, try understand problems and views from their perspective, see their approach to problem-solving, and guiding them in a different way.
The innovative way of teaching soft skills devised by Mentor India helps a lot in implementing ideas and engaging with the school children in the best possible way.
Arpith. N:
It was an amazing experience to be part of Mentor India’s programme as part of SAP’s Month of Service activity. We, the team from SAP, visited St. Xavier’s High School in Shivajinagar where we got the opportunity to teach students who were in the 8th standard. The modules in Mitra Pustak are very well organised, which helped us teach the students effectively, and all the students were very energetic. I hope that we get more opportunities to do such work in the future as well.
Sandeep Kaur:
I volunteered for the Mentor India Program with great excitement, anxiety, and a lot of questions like – what exactly will I be doing? Will I be able to teach anything fruitful to young minds? But the one thing that I was sure about was that this small effort would definitely give me inner satisfaction.
We went to St. Xavier’s School in Bangalore and the moment we stepped into the school, we felt a totally different ambience from our daily workspace. Cheerful sounds of children from playground actually made me forget all my doubts and, it was like I entered into a magical world full of positive energy and liveliness. As soon as we started the session, their interest and questions ensured that learning was happening in Duplex Mode. The most overwhelming moment was when we were about to leave and Mahi (a girl in my class, I won’t forget her name ever) said, “Akka, Please don’t go…”
This experience was great, and it taught me to have a sense of responsibility towards society by guiding young minds and helping them choose the right path. I was personally touched by the attachment and affection that these children expressed after spending a few hours with them.
And I figured out that I LOVE kids!
Puneeth Ramachandra:
What could’ve been a regular day at the office turned out to be a gratifying and delightful experience.
Each child had a spark that we had lost with age. Reaching out to them made us feel younger, and made us realise that no matter small our lives are, we are still capable of making things better for us and others. It’s a beautiful thing to see someone smile and laugh spontaneously. And don’t take it lightly when children start asking questions – some of them are really good, and the students expect prompt answers.
Teaching is definitely not an easy job, especially when you are working with kids with different levels of understanding, but the subject and the course content were easy for them to comprehend.
We had to prepare to teach topics like Body Language & Career Planning, which needed the right knowledge and approach. These topics are also challenging to convey in a way that children understand.
Overall, I’m was happy to be part of this and would like to participate in more sessions.
Roopa Prabhu:
It was a great experience for me since it was the first time I had participated in such an event. The students were very enthusiastic and we enjoyed teaching concepts that we had studied long, long ago. We (Sajal and I) taught adjectives and prepositions to the students of Class 8 at St. Xavier’s school.
I really think that we should all participate in such activities and do our little bit to contribute to society. The following proverb is worth reading, re-reading, implementing and motivating others also to do: “You don’t have to be a billionaire to believe you can make a difference. Give your resources to a charity and volunteer in your community.” ― Germany Kent
I would love to contribute to more events like this. Thank you, SAP and Pranita for giving me this opportunity.
Krishna Chaitanya:
It was a great experience spending time with children.
What can I say about my experience? Is there a sense of happiness? A moment of pride?
When I look back at my memories of 2016, this experience will always put a smile on my face, and give me a sense of satisfaction. In the process of teaching them, I learnt a lot. Spending time at the school with the children reminded me of my school days. Thanks for giving me this opportunity.
Thanks for joining us, Team SAP under the leadership of Gunjan Patel and Chiranjeev Brahma. It’s been a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved, and we’re grateful to all our volunteers for their time and support.
Liked reading this? Then you might also like Mentor India – Once A Volunteer, Always A Teacher.
If you’re interested in volunteering with Mentor India, sign up here. To learn more about the programme and to support our cause, visit our Mentor India page.
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