On September 25, 2014, U.S. Consul General Phillip A. Min will inaugurate "The Kickst’art Challenge: Empowering students with leadership lessons" at Hotel Raj Park in Chennai. This initiative is a mentoring project designed to transform 100 undergraduate students into future leaders over six months. The mentorship will be provided by 50 experts who are alumni of U.S. exchange programs.
Consul General Phillip Min emphasized the United States' commitment to youth development worldwide, stating, "The United States is fully invested in improving the status of the youth across the world and in building their capacity to transform them into future leaders." He also noted that this program would strengthen ties with U.S. exchange alumni by providing them tools to engage with local communities for shared goals.
Highlighting U.S. President Barack Obama's focus on education, Consul General Min remarked, "Access to professionals succeeding in their field is vital for students both in and out of the classroom," adding that participants will gain access to professionals and receive guidance through mentorship.
The two-day workshop will include experiential instruction methods and interactive case study-based learning modules. It aims to create small mentor-mentee teams that will work together on goal-centric activities over six months. The mentors from U.S. exchange alumni will lead these teams toward successful completion of individual projects.
In February 2015, mentees will present their completed projects and receive certificates at a public event organized by the U.S. Consulate General Chennai.
This mentoring program is offered free of charge and is funded by a grant from the Alumni Affairs office of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.