SHILLONG: In a bid to empower the tribal youth of Meghalaya with communication and leadership skills, the East Garo Hills district administration has launched the state’s first online soft skills and leadership coaching classes in collaboration with AVENUES.
Speaking at the virtual inauguration, Deputy Commissioner of East Garo Hills Swapnil Tembe stressed on the importance of communication skills to build confidence and instil courage in the youths.
“There is a distinct lack of confidence and fear of competition in our young people when it comes to competing with their counterparts from other cities in the national-level competitive exams”, he added.
It may be mentioned that the last time a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) candidate from the state cleared the Civil Services Examination (CSE) was around eight years ago in 2012.
The East Garo Hills district administration, under the leadership of Swapnil Tembe, has initiated an innovation called Project STAR (School Transformation by Augmenting Resources) under which unique interventions like Super 30 are created to facilitate programmes like the online coaching initiative in East Garo Hills.
A Super 30 aspirant, Enrique Jangrik Marak of Mt. Penuel Secondary School, while sharing his experience, said, “I believe that this programme will have a huge impact. From the first day itself, I experienced vast improvement in my vocabulary and confidence level”.
Founder and Managing Director of AVENUES, Mark Laitflang Stone, exhorted the aspirants to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves.
“It’s high time we tell the world that we are worthy, capable and competent. These programmes are designed to give you the skills needed to face the new normal with clarity, confidence and courage,” Mark said.
