CERAH is a youth mentoring programme conducted by Experitas. Supported by Yayasan Mendaki, we help students from secondary schools all the way to Singapore's Institute of Technical Education (ITE). Our scope depends on the needs of the schools. However, we aim to instill the 5 outcomes below:
- Character
- Enterprise
- Resilience
- Adaptability
- Humility
In CERAH, we place focus on gift-centred mentoring (GCM). Not simply listening or giving advice, mentors are trained to help youths identify their own gifts and care for their 'wounds'. For example, gifts that come in the form of inherent talent or personality traits may come 'disguised' as negative traits. However, this can be polished and pivoted so each youth can share this positive trait to the world.
As an example, the leader of a street corner gang can pivot to be a leader of a charity group. A graffiti vandal can change to be a distinguished artist. How can this be so? Instead of criminalizing their talent, through mentoring, we identify these as gifts waiting to be acknowledged. We want the youths to be recognised and provide opportunities for them to showcase these throughout their lives, feeling inspired, driven and full of purpose.
We also understand that sometimes, there are factors that hinder these progress. Understanding this 'wound' will help us in overcoming the challenges faced by the youths. Sometimes, these wounds are connected to the gift, and nursing them will improve their ability to pivot.
