EMA partner In-Sight Collaborative believes that anyone can be a humanitarian. Their definition of that role is simple yet profound: “Being a humanitarian is a mindset, a way of grounding yourself in kindness and empathy in all you do to improve the lives of all humankind.”
Twice a year, In-Sight offers a free Mentorship Program for anyone who considers themselves, or aspires to be, a humanitarian. It is designed to equip participants with the tools and resources they need to effectively engage in aid work and to introduce, identify, and discuss issues within the humanitarian sector.
The program’s philosophy is based upon the idea that self-improvement and self-awareness are crucial to social impact work; one cannot address the needs of others without first focusing inward. As noted in the program handbook: “In-Sight Collaborative positions itself as a facilitator and contributor to those in the humanitarian sector who are recognizing that aid work starts with oneself – recognizing the relationship that humanitarians have with themselves, their community, and their work, which translates to larger systemic issues.”
Nadira Saraswati, Chief Operating Officer for the organization, can attest to the significance of In-Sight’s belief in empathy through her own experience as a graduate of their very first Mentorship Program in 2020.
“It's very much an academic program as much as it is a human program. Programs like this exist in the world where they take you as you are, instead of expecting you to already come as someone. It feels nice to find a program that will kind of grow with you.”
During COVID in Northern Greece, In-Sight quickly realized that direct humanitarian aid to migrant communities in need was unsustainable. Instead, they sought to figure out how to best meet the needs of those communities in crisis by addressing the root causes of their need for aid. And from there, the Mentorship Program was born.
The program is free to anyone 17 or older who may not have access to humanitarian training through other sources and is offered over ten weeks every January to April and as a six-week accelerated program in English, Arabic, or Spanish every July to August. As Saraswati put it, “We welcome anyone who is willing to learn and unlearn with us.”
As the program has evolved over the last few years, its curriculum and approach have been designed to reflect In-Sight's core beliefs: to center participants and build relationships. Featuring an array of interactive speaker sessions, discussions, and projects, the curriculum has been created with the input of many subject experts, educators, and activists and adapted based on the input of the program participants rather than that of donors or other humanitarian actors.
Unlike typical learning structures, the student cohorts are not run hierarchically, sometimes blurring the lines between mentors and mentees. That dynamic is intentional, notes Saraswati. “All mentors are doing is providing structure, but we are learning as much from the mentees as they are from us. It's not like we have power over you; we have power together and keep building that up.” The curriculum reflects this by including the perspectives of multiple cultural groups and letting their voices lead the learning, says Saraswati.
“We believe knowledge comes from everywhere, and the fact that our society only values one type of knowledge is wrong. We want to shift away from that and explore the range of knowledge systems in the world.”
By embracing this approach, In-Sight conveys its core value of bringing every voice to the table. Specifically, they demonstrate their trust and belief in the unique vision and story of every individual who participates, which Saraswati felt personally while she was a mentee in the program.
“They know you by name. They care about your dreams and they give you support as you grow into yourself, that's a really powerful way of changing the world. You don't need to be a policymaker or a billionaire to change people's lives.”
If you or someone you know are interested in applying for the next Mentorship Program cohort in January 2025, In-Sight will be posting application information on their website in September. We also invite you to consider making a donation to support In-Sight’s transformational Mentorship Program to equip and empower current and future humanitarians.
