Setting Leadership Goal For Indigenous Adolescents

Jan 21, 2022

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has launched a number of projects to encourage tribal youngsters to develop their leadership skills. One such initiative is the GOAL (Going Online As Leaders) programme that was launched on 15 May 2020; it provides mentorship to tribal youth through digital mode.   It’s a collaboration between MoTA and Facebook that aims at delivering digitally-enabled mentorship to tribal youngsters and equipping them to become leaders in their fields of interest.

The digital mentorship programme is fully funded by Facebook and aims to empower 5,000 scheduled tribe (ST) youth aged 18-35 years (they are referred to as ‘mentees’) across India to become village-level digital young leaders for their communities with assistance from 2,500 experts (referred to as ‘mentors’) across various fields over the next five years. The nine-month program includes seven months of mentorship in areas such as digital literacy, life skills, leadership and  entrepreneurship, which is then followed by a two-month internship for the mentees to gain an on-ground experience. 

In addition to the core classes, the programme includes fortnightly expert sessions in which distinguished leaders and experts from various fields are invited to interact with the GOAL Program mentees and guide their development through personal and professional experiences. In the past, experts from various fields like Dr. Teejan Bai, a Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee; Bhaichung Bhutia, former captain of the Indian football team, Ajaita Shah, Founder and CEO of Frontier Markets; Laxman Singh Markam, Deputy Secretary to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Anurag Jain, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Car Dekho have shared their experiences with the mentees in the Inspiration Masterclass on GOAL Program.

Till December 2021, the program received more than 31,000 applicants, 550+ district coverage. It also had 46 MPs, 250+ NGOs and Center of Excellences (COEs) partnering with the program and till date, more than 300+ mentees have benefited from the initiatives.

Tribal communities account for nearly 8% of the Indian population and contribute significantly to the country's GDP. The community faces a number of challenges, primarily in gaining access to job opportunities. Hence, GOAL appears to be the right forum / platform under the aegis of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.

The program is in line with India’s honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of making the country self-reliant and an AtmaNirbhar Bharat.  It also serves a link between socially marginalized youth and a wealth of opportunities and resources on the other side.