Under the guidance of Shri Vivek Gupta, 18 months have been completed in the Chinmaya Mentorship Program. Currently, there are 126 participants across 85 cities in 4 countries. Participants (mentees) comprise members of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK) and Junior Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (JCHYK) aged 15-28, who are individually matched with mentors who are members of Chinmaya Setukari (CSK) aged 29-45.
Mentor-mentee pairs meet virtually twice a month to provide mutual friendship, guidance and support, resting on a Vedantic foundation. Mentors are seekers, not counselors, so any clinical issues are escalated to the Advisory Committee – a group of sevaks professionally trained in youth wellbeing. Additionally, participants come together monthly for interactive wellness workshops on relevant topics such as ‘Grounding Stress and Anxiety’ or ‘Aligning your Career with Swadharma.’
This year, participants collaborated with other communities for special initiatives. With Prithvi Sevasanga, the communities achieved a sankalpa (intention or pledge) to plant 1000 trees and raised over $26,000 for “One Tree Planted”. With Vanaprasthas (senior citizens), ‘High Chai’ was launched, where mentor-mentee pairs meet a Vanaprastha to inspire one another in an exchange of youthful vitality and age-old wisdom.
Seekers have expressed immense gratitude for this dynamic mentorship community characterized by meaningful relationships in a judgment-free space. One mentee said: “I’ve found someone I connect with on a deeper level who inspires me in so many ways.” Several mentors shared how much they wished such a program existed while they were growing up.
To learn more, please visit: www.chinmayaniagara.com/communities/mentorship/
Registration remains open.
