Evaluation of the impact of the Spritivity Workshops
Participation in the workshops had to be as effective as possible for both, mentors and mentees, for it to be deemed a success. We often want to do something but don’t have a plan how to do it. These workshops helped identify what they wanted to do and then together, construct a workable plan. In contrast to previous programmes run by Mentortogether, the girls in this project were proactive, expressive of their emotions and needs, and took complete ownership of the project. Similarly, better-prepared and critically conscious mentors made therapeutic interventions a reality for those populations that needed it the most. They were able to understand the needs of their mentees, without taking charge of the process themselves. Meaningful interactions became possible with even the most reticent of participants, where sprite and narratives created by that participant could be used instead of speech. Each interaction was thus tempered and driven by the participants’ needs and preferred pace/method of communication rather than enforced upon them.
The Spritivity workshops were greatly appreciated by both the groups. Mentortogether has reported that the Mysore chapter was the most successful mentoring initiative so far, with real relationships formed and much greater, proactive participation from the mentees.