Location New Delhi
Type Empowerment
Amount £58,119
Background
Tibetan youth in India are often at a disadvantage to their Indian contemporaries when it comes to higher education and work opportunities.
A lot of young Tibetans living in India have grown up in Tibetan settlements or at Tibetan boarding schools. Although there are some very good Tibetan schools, the teaching language tends to be a mix of Tibetan and English. Hindi is taught as a subject in many of the schools but only up to age 11 or 12 so most students do not gain a strong working knowledge of Hindi.
Because of the isolated nature of Tibetan schools and settlements, most Tibetan children grow up apart from local Indian culture. It is not common to have Indian friends or go to Indian schools.
A lack of careers advice is also a big problem with many students unaware of the variety of options open to them or what skills are valued in the workplace.
The combination of these issues means that when students come to leave school and head off to university or work, they often face difficulties in adapting. Navigating the Indian university admissions system and finding the right course can be a daunting prospect – not to mention orientation week and settling in. The Indian careers system can prove equally baffling.
Coupled with a basic grasp of Hindi picked up from films and songs, this puts these young Tibetans at a disadvantage. Many end up in poorly paid jobs or taking unsuitable qualifications and end earning less than their Indian peers.
Project
In 2007, Tibet Relief Fund establish the Empowering the Vision Project.
The aim of the project is to empower young Tibetans to become fully engaged members of the global community by –
- developing young leaders through mentorship and life skills training
- providing employment to young people through guidance, fellowships and direct assistance
- strengthening relations amongst young Tibetan and with the Indian and wider international communities
- creating young entrepreneurs through seed funding and networking
The support Empowering the Visions gives to young Tibetans promotes self-confidence and helps students discover themselves so that they are better able to make the right choices in life and become self-reliant and dynamic.
Since 2009, 62 different programmes have been conducted reaching a total of 2926 beneficiaries in nine different states in India.
The work they do truly does empower young lives and helps Tibetans across India fulfil their dreams and aspirations. Tibet Relief Fund remains Empowering the Vison’s core funder and is proud to support such a forward thinking, practical organisation.
If you would like to read more about the programmes Empowering the Vision run, please check out their website at Empowering the Vision.