In a bustling village on the outskirts of Lahore, a modest school run by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) has been serving the community for the last two decades. Asad, an assistant general manager at a Japanese trading firm, is among the many dedicated volunteers for TCF’s youth mentorship programme, Rahbar.

He could not have imagined how the programme’s heartwarming tradition of students writing letters to their mentors on the last day would change lives forever. Through these letters, students share their dreams and aspirations with their mentors and pledge to work tirelessly to achieve their goals. In his promise letter, Hamza, a grade nine student, vowed to study hard, become a doctor, and return to his village to serve his community.

A year later, Asad decided to visit the school and check on Hamza. He brought along Hamza’s pledge letter, eager to see how far his mentee had come in pursuing his dreams. On arriving at the school, Hamza was nowhere to be found. Perplexed, Asad approached the principal seeking answers. With a heavy heart, the principal explained that Hamza had left the school six months ago. His father had married for a second time, leaving him little time to run the family shop. Out of filial duty, Hamza left his education behind to help his father manage the shop.

Determined to find Hamza, Asad started asking around the neighbourhood and eventually found a small, dimly lit shop where Hamza was working diligently. Asad’s heart swelled with mixed emotions. Hamza was surprised but grateful to see his mentor again. Driven by a strong desire to do something, Asad asked to see Hamza’s father. When he arrived at the shop, Asad said with a heavy heart, “I mentored your son a year ago, and he wrote this promise letter to me.”

As Hamza’s father read the letter about his son’s dreams, his eyes brimmed with tears. A tidal wave-like sense of guilt consumed him as he realised the magnitude of what he had done to his son and his future. Asad left the shop, leaving the father and son to go over promises made and broken.

Holistic development

Extensive research has found a positive impact of mentoring on the academic, social, and emotional growth of adolescent students, where participants were consistently reported to have better grades, relationships, attitudes, and aspirations. A study on the effects of mentoring on at-risk youth also found that participants put greater effort into their homework and other learning activities after joining a mentorship programme, leading them to achieve better grades. It also reported parents being proud of their children, leading to improved relationships between students and their parents.

Most importantly, mentorship has proven to lead to more ambitious career aspirations for young students.

Pakistan’s existing education landscape often neglects students’ individual development due to an almost complete absence of mentorship programmes. This in turn deprives students of invaluable guidance crucial for shaping their futures.

Imagine a scenario where students in Pakistan, guided by knowledgeable mentors, are encouraged to explore diverse subjects, ask thought-provoking questions and are empowered to explore a wide range of career paths and real-world applications that foster their growth as well-rounded, socially-conscious individuals.

Unfortunately, the reality on the ground is quite different. There is an overwhelming focus solely on achieving high grades. Overburdened teachers are informally tasked to provide some sort of mentorship to students without any encouragement from school administrations. This is especially true at non-elite schools. The prevailing culture pushes students to rote learn for exams, stifling their natural curiosity and independent thinking.

Excessive emphasis on standardised exams traps students in a detrimental loop. We, at TCF, asked ourselves: is it possible to break free from this repetitive cycle and shift focus to students’ intellectual and personal growth, prioritising holistic development?

The Rahbar programme

TCF decided to respond to this problem through its vast educational infrastructure that spreads across rural and urban slum communities in Pakistan. What started with five schools and 700 students in Karachi in 1995 has transformed into a network of 1,921 schools with over 286,000 students and 14,000 teachers.

TCF attempted to break free from the tradition of singular focus on grades and initiated the Rahbar programme for grade eight and nine students in 2008. The programme started at one school in Karachi, where 20 volunteers from different walks of life mentored 69 students for eight consecutive Saturdays.

The Rahbar programme, a structured volunteer-based programme initiated by TCF, aims to mentor youth to become responsible and productive members of society. Its key feature is the outlook towards ‘thought to destiny’, which serves as the guiding principle to inspire young minds to think of themselves as creators of their destinies rather than victims of their circumstances.

The programme has been successful in helping many TCF students achieve their potential. It provides a genuine sense of hope not only to the students but also to their mentors. Trusted bonds are developed that help students discover their inner strengths and capacities, pushing them to achieve their full potential.

Along with mentorship, Rahbar also allows students to participate in extracurricular activities such as debate, public speaking, and community service.

The programme draws inspiration from South Africa’s TSIBA initiative, born in response to the Apartheid system’s educational disparities. Underprivileged students, bereft of holistic education, were trapped in the cycle of poverty. Coined as “educational apartheid,” this divide left marginalised learners devoid of pivotal intellectual skills and personal growth. Aptitudes integral to holistic development were notably absent, leaving students with self-confidence deficits and without tools to navigate their education and beyond.

In response, TSIBA strategically introduced a mandatory six-month preparatory programme for students before entering formal higher education. This intensive preparatory phase included an array of pivotal skills, instilling values of good citizenship, curating inspirational narratives, offering motivational tutelage, specialised coaching, mentorship, character cultivation, self-esteem enhancement, and intellectual refinement.

The programme proved to be a phenomenal success, evident from the high interest shown by students and mentors and the changes observed in students’ attitudes toward education. It was soon realised that at the heart of education lies the art of asking the right questions and pursuing meaningful answers.

To prepare students for an ever-changing world, we must prioritise their intellectual and personal growth, fostering resilience, adaptability, and creativity. Balancing academic excellence with intellectual development can enable our students to thrive in a complex, interconnected global landscape.

It is in fact a mentee from the TSIBA initiative — now a senior member of TCF — who brought the mentorship vision to TCF and initiated Rahbar.

A recent study conducted by TCF to assess the impact of the Rahbar programme unveiled many positive outcomes among students. Participants of the programme demonstrated an impressive long-term retention of core concepts. A survey of Rahbar alumni found that 96 per cent of students credited the programme with significantly contributing to their professional and personal growth.

Rahbar graduates continue to apply leadership skills acquired in the programme, including effective communication, team motivation, and strategic thinking. Alumni also carry forward interpersonal skills such as active listening, empathy, and conflict resolution techniques, which the programme emphasises on.

The programme fosters enduring bonds between mentors and mentees, resulting in lasting relationships that provide ongoing support and guidance beyond the programme’s duration. These strong mentor-mentee relationships enhance students’ life skills and interpersonal interactions, leading to improved communication and connections with their parents.

Almost 87pc of the alumni indicated that they felt confident discussing their problems and career aspirations freely with their parents after participating in the programme, indicating a positive impact on fostering open family discussions. They not only shared their thoughts but actively sought parental support and guidance.

Results also indicated that enrolment in the Rahbar programme increases hope and confidence among students, impacting their ability to navigate their surroundings independently. Interviews with Rahbar alumni demonstrated that 85pc students felt their thoughts and opinions were no longer controlled by their surroundings or parents after completing the programme. They learned to stay committed to their goals and to respond to challenges positively.

Since its pilot in 2008, 57,150 mentees have been mentored by 15,150 mentors under Rahbar in 18 cities across Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Islamabad/Rawalpindi.

The Rahbar programme is a unique opportunity for both students and mentors — it provides students with the guidance and support they need to succeed in life, and it gives mentors the chance to make a real difference in the lives of young people.

It is undoubtedly a valuable investment in the future of Pakistan that is helping to develop confident, capable, and civic-minded young people. These are the qualities that Pakistan needs to build a brighter future for all its citizens.

Header Image: A TCF student with his mentor. — TCF