IIT-B student group mentors underprivileged kids in city

MUMBAI: A student-run social body of IIT Bombay called Abhyuday is conducting a drive, Career Counselling Campaign (CCC), in city schools to mentor and guide students about career opportunities across multiple fields. Students from Class 7 to 12 are being imparted knowledge about a variety of sectors and courses in fields like engineering, medicine, civil services, commerce and arts.

According to the Abhyuday’s official website, the aim of CCC is to provide free career guidance to underprivileged students and create awareness about careers among school-going students. “Close to two-and-a-half years ago, CCC was created and since then we have been visiting schools voluntarily to inform them about the choices they can make once they exit the school gates. We are a team of 20 (managers) and our target is civic and private-aided schools where we conduct workshops every weekend,” said Gaurav Chaudhary, an organiser of Abhyuday and a third-year BTech student.

He added, “We have a toll-free number and a mobile application called Career Counselling Helpline through which students or any stakeholders can contact us.” Schools and principals have been given a CCC booklet and students are made to jot down the toll-free number in their school calendar so if they are confused about their career choices, they will be able to reach out to the group.

“On November 26, close to 10,000 students were covered in 61 schools located in the city jurisdiction,” he added. Furthermore, the group has also organised video teleconferencing sessions in which they have covered more than 72,000 students from Class 7 to 12 of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) run schools. The Abhyuday helpline number is 1800200209.