“Now I know clearly – if they can do it, so can I.”

Our mentorship program is constantly developing and growing, as PLF role models interact with the key milestones in younger students’ journeys. From the pandemic silver lining that mobilized a huge number of PLF uni students to step into mentorship roles, a significant shift and momentum started building in the initiative. This enthusiastic engagement has caused ripple effects that are spreading all the way down through the grades, as students in turn take the baton from their seniors to mentor the juniors coming up behind them.

Primary Grades

Positive role modelling begins from the youngest grades, as older high school students often take part in distributions on school open days. And we were thrilled to see Preah Vihear middle school students now studying at the Learning Center in Srayang, ask to visit Grade 6 students in their old primary schools, to give encouragement and morale boosting as they were about to take their national exam. 

Middle School Grades

This year PLF uni mentors have hit the roads in all directions to get to our rural projects, as well as holding sessions in Siem Reap, with an increased focus on reaching out to Grades 7-9. These sessions are based around self-development, study skills and motivating students to maintain a passion for school in what can be a difficult transition for many from the primary grades. The mentorship teams are blended with uni and vo-tech students, showing that further education isn’t limited to academic subjects. 

And the ripple effect continues downstream. Inspired by their older mentors, the newly-formed PLF Youth Group of high school students are also increasingly active in sharing sessions with middle school students. This provides extra encouragement to participate in workshop activities as part of our strategy in improving middle school retention. Identified by UNICEF as a national issue even prior to Covid, boys especially are at risk of dropping out after primary school, due to socio-economic pressures of families living in poverty, and the expectation that males can earn more to help alleviate those challenges. Keeping boys in school through these grades is crucial because we see that if they can make it through to the Grade 9 milestone and complete middle school, they are more likely to stay the whole distance through to Grade 12. Hearing directly from Grade 10 and 11 students makes high school a more palpable and immediate reality.

High School Grades

This is where mentorship activities really intensify, especially as the school year progresses. With lots of public holidays in May and a break between semesters it’s a great time to pack in lots of sessions before the inevitable ramping up towards the end of the academic year, and Grade 12s especially have to start focussing on the national exams ahead. Our mentors are really active during the May to July period and this year was the busiest yet with 550 highschoolers reached through targeted sessions. 

High schoolers got to meet many impressive PLF uni graduates, some speaking for the first time and representing between them a wide range of different career paths – from law, data science and telecommunications engineering to banking, teaching and accounting. Current uni students also joined the teams, offering insights into how to prep for the university entrance exams (which started happening only just last year), the move away from home for the first time and adapting to university life in the big city. 

The culmination of mentorship for Grade 12 comes with PLF’s annual uni career fair. This is a hugely significant event as they start to really firm up their future plans. We invite PLF uni mentors, both graduated and still studying, to present about their respective majors and answer the many questions that high school students have. The number of majors represented just gets bigger and bigger, with 17 different subjects at this year’s event! For the 110 high schoolers attending, it sheds light on subjects they didn’t even know exist, or helps make up their mind between different majors they are considering. 

Choosing the correct major and field is crucial, and with little career advice at the public high schools (which mostly consists of sales pitches from university reps), there are many gaps in understanding what exactly a particular degree will involve, and what the employment prospects are after graduation. Being able to hear directly from students like themselves who have real and relevant experience of the various majors and job markets, makes all the difference in crystallizing their decisions.

Attending this event, as well as the Career Prep workshops that follow, is a pre-requisite for students wanting to apply for university scholarships, to ensure that they are aiming for the path best suited to them.

This mentorship program is a major component in our student engagement strategy and offers a huge boost to younger students at the crucial junctures of their school journeys, regardless of which grade they are in. By sharing their time, experience and invaluable insights to their younger peers,  mentors are shining a light of inspiration on the next steps to take, towards the possible futures that they can begin to imagine. 

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