In the U.S. and around the world, young people in the wake of the pandemic are struggling with depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health challenges, and schools are often unable to find enough counselors and support staff. But recent graduates and other young adult mentors trained to coach students may be able to provide a supplemental source of support—benefitting both students and the mentors themselves.
Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), a nonprofit organization in sub-Saharan Africa, trains young women to become “Learner Guides,” mentors who can foster life skills and support school engagement for marginalized youth, especially girls. These recent high school graduates return to their local schools for 18 months to deliver a life skills curriculum, mentor and advocate for vulnerable students, and engage with the community.
The program leverages the unique power of young adults who have recent firsthand knowledge of the education system and who are admired and respected by students—they often become relatable confidantes. CAMFED’s Learner Guides are not trained classroom teachers, but they do have expertise at being teenagers, and they can support youth in the social and emotional dimensions of their schooling journey. By doing so, they free up time for credentialed classroom educators to focus on teaching.
Read the story of CAMFED and learn about their Learner Guide program here.
This video and story are part of the "Scanning the World" series developed by The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE). Republished with permission. To learn more about CRPE visit their website.