A Mentor with Clear Goals

G.Enkhtsooj says, “The role of a mentor is to help find the right solutions, provide support, and offer understanding. That’s why I make it my goal to meet with each child personally, listen closely to their new ideas, help them turn those ideas into projects, and inspire confidence in them.”

The “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project, implemented by Save the Children, has fostered a culture of mentoring within local communities and trained mentors across five target provinces. One such mentor is G. Enkhtsooj.

He mentors students from secondary schools in Zereg, Mankhan, Must, Uyench, Altai, and Bulgan soums in Khovd province, as well as youth from the Lifelong Learning Unit and students from the Polytechnic College in Jargalant soum. Additionally, he serves as a trainer for the “Leadership and Public Speaking Skills Station” under the “Entrepreneur Leads” leadership program and actively supports the project by serving as a judge at the Pitch event.

Over the past three years, he has assisted more than 1,800 individuals, including students participating in the ESEL training program, teams involved in the subgrant competition, as well as children, youth, teachers, and parents of team members who received subgrants to implement their projects.

He advises teams that have developed their business ideas into project proposals to present key information, such as the project implementation methodology, team members’ responsibilities, and income estimates, clearly and concisely during their presentation at the Pitch Competition.

“The children who don’t pass the Pitch Competition don’t get discouraged. Instead, they ask how they can improve for next time and what they should focus on. It shows their determination to overcome challenges, and that’s motivating to see. When the children speak and come up with their own solutions, it lights up their eyes and inspires them even more,” says G. Enkhtsooj.

Enkhtsooj believes that a mentor should engage with children on equal terms, fostering open relationships built on trust. He is encouraged by the fact that the children, seeing him not as an older brother or teacher but as a peer, feel comfortable sharing their opinions and discussing their challenges and opportunities freely.

Enkhtsooj spoke about the “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project, saying, “When children reach adulthood, they may feel like everything is going well, but when they face unexpected small challenges, they suddenly feel incompetent and give up. However, children involved in this project are learning, through ESEL training, about the opportunities and challenges they will encounter in university, employment, or starting a business. They are also developing the skills to overcome these challenges and seize new opportunities. The main reason I chose to work as a mentor is that this project makes these vital skills and knowledge accessible to children, regardless of their academic background or developmental characteristics.”

Since the children and youth began attending ESEL training, they started talking to each other, developing ideas together, grasping new opportunities, and overcoming challenges. This fosters teamwork, builds strong friendships, and creates some of the brightest and happiest memories of their childhood.

G.Enkhtsooj added, “Becoming a mentor has equipped me with the skills to work with teenagers and young people. As an ESEL mentor, I must be a positive role model for the children, and I work hard to achieve that. This role has given me the desire and motivation to continuously develop myself personally, professionally, and academically.”

G.Enkhtsooj is the general coordinator of the “Let’s Live Happily in Our Khashaa” project and a trainer for the “Comprehensive Personal Development Training” program, conducted by the Khovd Province Department of Family, Child and Youth Development in collaboration with the Youth Development Center. Although he had no prior experience working with children and youth, becoming a mentor for the project allowed him to gain extensive knowledge and experience working with teenage students and young adults.

As of August 2024, 1,912 children and youth in targeted soums of Khovd province have participated in ESEL training. Of these, 343 children and youth are successfully implementing 86 subgrant projects with a total funding of 229.5 million MNT.