Mentoring Youth for Personal Empowerment

65% of India’s population is from rural areas [1]. This means that more than half of the population in India comes from a rural background and is subjected as inferior to the urban population. This inferiority is inherited in them because of the long-lost history, and the mindset of some people that haven’t yet changed.

Mostly it's more about the mindset of the rural people than the urban as the rural people end up thinking less of themselves naturally without any reason or conclusion. Even when they are well settled financially, they possess a feeling of not belonging in the same place as the urban people do.

They fear not being accepted because of where they come from. Language also contributes heavily to this situation, as English is not very popular among the rural areas, it seems as if not knowing the language acts as a burden and pushes them back. In most places in urban areas, people are well-spoken in English, rural people might feel as if it is not a place for people who don’t know that language.

Even though they might be widely knowledgeable and intelligent in their own native language. Therefore, they fear the humiliation and plan on staying as far as possible from the urban areas. They feel more comfortable and safer that way.

This is a problem that occurs unknowingly and there is no one at fault. It's just a matter of believing in themselves and believing in their worth. The majority of rural youth try to overcome this by taking English coaching classes and learning the language to boost up their confidence and feel a sense of acceptance.

However, it doesn’t always work. Even after learning it, the confidence isn’t built as they are still not entirely confident about themselves. The sense of inferiority remains and is yet to overcome. This often leads to group-ism, which is evident in many places where people with rural backgrounds tend to stay together in their comfort zone.

This acts as a barrier for them in achieving empowerment and personal development. Development not just for the rural area but also for the entire society. As they might have valuable inputs that they don’t come up with and share because they are busy overcoming the barriers and often remain satisfied with whatever they receive. 

Well, the mindset of people has seen a development in the urban area. There has been a positive spread in favor of the rural people. The environment has been made as welcoming and friendly as possible but that won’t make any difference until the rural people get over their insecurities and believe in themselves and society.

Mentoring is a step that could be taken to solve this problem. If made mandatory for every college student to mentor a few youths of the nearby rural area, a positive change can be implemented. When they mentor the rural people, they can help them realize that English is not the most important aspect in the world; it's their voice and opinion that matters. No matter how it is conveyed, if they think it's impactful and believes in their voice then they shouldn’t fear anyone and just believe in their idea.

Mentors help them, support them in boosting up their self-confidence and clear their misconceptions about society. There is no place in the world that is not welcoming enough for them, their existence is valued as much as anyone else’s.

This sense of empowerment is developed in them with the help of mentorship, the relation between the rural youth and the urban youth is delicate, built on trust, supporting, powering, and most importantly friendly. This initiative will surely make a good bond between the rural and urban area people and will make them feel accepted and valued in society.

Even when they are not able to meet in person regularly, an online platform can be established to keep up the connection and also represents that the mentor is always going to be available in the times of need of the mentee and they can help them out. It is said that with the right mentor anything can be achieved by the mentee as they find the right track for their lost soul with a solid support system. 

 It is concluded that society could be developed with the development of the rural areas as more than half the population comes from a rural background. This problem should be a major focal point of the government towards the empowerment of the rural population. 

Most of the rural people suffer from inferiority crises and zero self-esteem. They feel they are not included, valued, or accepted in the urban, sophisticated, English-speaking society which breaks down their confidence in themselves every day. 

However, establishing the initiative of urban students mentoring today’s rural youth can help them overcome such problems and feel empowered in society. Empowered rural youth leads to an empowered country.