The First Step towards Breakthrough
Written by Anjum Shaikh, August 30, 2018
Written by Anjum Shaikh, August 30, 2018
After weeks of effort and hard work, we initiated the Patang Scholars Program on 12th August 2018 by hosting an orientation session for the students and their parents. It was encouraging to see that, despite heavy rainfall, everyone attended. The orientation session focused on the Program features and the rules and regulations. It also served as an opportunity to get to know the students and parents and resolve any questions they had.
An introductory session was held for the students to gauge their abilities and understand the areas for improvement. The students confidently spoke about their education, hobbies and ambitions and what they can do for their country. It was heartwarming to listen to their introductions and we were impressed by their passion and determination. A parents session was also arranged to understand the parents’ expectations of their children and the Program. It was inspiring to learn about how the families overcome the problems and the challenges they face on daily basis to help their children in their educational needs. All the parents assured us that they would continue to support their children no matter what comes and help them achieve their dreams. With this, we began our first step towards breakthrough by helping these students achieve their dreams and build a better future.
The Patang Scholars Program not only aims to give financial aid to students but also a learning platform to enhance their overall development by arranging personality development workshops throughout the year. The first workshop took place the weekend after the orientation session. We were pleased to see that all the students from different colleges and localities reached on time to attend their first workshop. The students were curious and eager to know the content of the workshop session. To begin the session, the trainers from the workshop introduced themselves to the class and welcomed them aboard. With a few icebreakers and group discussions, the students got the opportunity to familiarize themselves with each other and get comfortable.
Kartik, a student from St. Sebastian who recently passed his SSC exam with 82%, shared his dream to make it big and his need for a learning environment which could make him think out of the box and accelerate his creative thinking ability. Kajal, another student from Colaba Municipal School who passed her SSC with 85% expressed the desire to improve her confidence and social skills. Similarly, all the other students in the class shared their expectations and their interest in building up their knowledge and gaining skills to prepare themselves for a better future. They emphasized their goal of self-improvement and development of their overall personality.
Since the journey at the Patang Scholars Program has just begun, it will be interesting to see the development that each student undergoes towards the path of progress. Until then, we aim to cater to the need of these scholars and enable them to explore their endless possibilities.