Uniqueness of LCM

Title of the Practice:

Loyola Counseling Centre (LCC) & Mentoring.

Objectives of the Practice:

To work at preventive, remedial and rehabilitative levels to help the students handle their Intra, Inter and Psychosocial issues.

The Context:

LCC facilitates wholesome mental health, positive living and self-actualization. Improves visibility through commemoration of special days pertaining to mental health. The current mentoring system is a need based accompaniment to provide confidential training.

The Practice:

It’s Uniqueness in the Context of Indian Higher Education. The varied facets undertaken are Individual Counseling With high confidentiality and scientific approaches and Group Therapies for which the target Groups are Boys hostel, Girls hostel who are more susceptible and vulnerable to maladaptive forms of coping with stress and various challenges, Focus Groups- sessions based on needs of all students, staff and parents, Special Groups in collaboration with different departments and Input sessions through Information sharing, Discussions, Campaigns, Competitions and Rallies. LCM also conducts Enrichment programs for Non-teaching staff, Awareness programs for Teaching staff and The Faculty Addiction Policy Team. LCM Counseling aims at training students for Self- Potentiating and Peer Guidance and the trained students identify, approach and help fellow students during times of their emotional crisis and act as referral channels to LCC.

Mentoring programme:

The unique mentoring aims at maximal efficacy among the students, bridging the gap between the staff and the students and to create a conducive atmosphere and real Student Centrality campus. Level-1 in the process flow is Academic Mentoring handled by Class faculty which focuses on making them aware about the importance of academic curriculum. This is followed by Individual sessions conducted by LCM to the Referrals to LCM.

Evidence of Success:

As a result of the mentoring system, students gain inherent knowledge of their journey through the college years, promoting internal motivation towards achievement. Problems Encountered and Resources required: Efforts should be made to incorporate mentoring into the mainstream, to cater to the holistic formation of committed and competent human beings. The training of the mentor needs to be systematic, periodic and in sync with current trends to keep the system in progress.

Notes:

Counseling and mentoring is highly recommended to be adopted as an integral part of education centers of higher learning.

Title of the Practice:

School of Service Learning – SHINE

Objectives and Outcomes of the Practice:

To sensitize both the second year undergraduate and the postgraduate students about the living conditions of urban and rural poor, and to understand the social issues, thereby developing the social and leadership skills to become socially responsible citizens.

The Context:

The neighborhood development model of the Service Learning Department has been created to give opportunities for the students to experience the hard realities of the urban poor in the slums. During the pandemic, due to lockdown, the active participation was quite challenging, yet another fruitful year for the nearby slum communities as well as to the socially disadvantaged sections.

The Practice:

SHINE actively engaged in community work with voluntary students in distribution of relief materials during the pandemic reaching out to 1000+ beneficiaries across the district and other parts of Tamilnadu. There was a meeting on Federation for the widows organised in mobilising the demands of the widows of the state to the State government. There were three major webinars on the problems faced by unorganised sector workers, women and domestic workers, and the migrants during the pandemic. There was a Career guidance and scholarship program which was also organised to help students of the socially disadvantaged sections to cope with the studies.

Notes:

SHINE stands unique as it trains students to ground reality and there is an overwhelming mutual benefit to both students as well as community.

Title of the Practice:

Life Skill Training (LST) & Mentoring.