Each cohort is paired with a guide who are either the parents of other cohort members or a parent from the community. However, they are not an expert in the area that the cohort is focussing on, rather they act as a pillar of support in the cohort’s journey.
The guides have to make a collaborative effort in defining their roles to obtain clarity on their job in the cohort’s journey through Coversity. The crux of open learning at Aarohi is “Follow the Child”, in this case the cohort. Two different sessions on the Guidelines and Objectives for guides were held and below is a consolidated list of the Guide’s Job Profile.
Objectives:
Empower them to drive themselves
Course correct their journey/give direction to their journey
Support them in getting clarity in goals, plans, visions, roadmaps, working, reflections, tracking, assessments, reviews, etc.
Expand their perspectives, connections, resources and explorations.
Listen to the parents’ concerns.
Act as a mirror for them to see their strengths, weaknesses, styles, abilities, etc.
Initiate discussion with other guides to get clarity on different aspects of how the cohort works.
Emotional empowerment of cohorts.
Understanding of cohort’s needs, wants, desires, ambitions, world view etc.
Guidelines:
Explore how I would apply the objectives to myself
Follow their posts on Social Media.
Listen Empathetically.
Ask open-ended and clarifying questions.
Avoid inference when they express in some way that they don’t need something.
Push without expectations.
Have conversations and Initiate interventions.
Be with them but not do it for them.
Share our stories/others’ stories – what we feel are worthy of discussion
Be yourself, Be genuine…
The list represents the collective thoughts of the guides. It is just a basic outline not a rigid structure. The approach is kept open so that it brings out the uniqueness and diversity in each cohort-guide interaction.