NEW DELHI: Tribal girls would be trained to become digital young leaders for their communities across villages in the country. This would be the second phase of GOAL (Going Online as Leaders) — a Facebook programme aimed at inspiring, guiding and encouraging tribal girls to become leaders, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda announced on Wednesday.
Launched in March, GOAL connects underprivileged young tribal women with senior expert mentors in the areas of business, fashion and arts to learn digital and life skills. The ministry and Facebook aims to digitally mentor 5,000 young women in India’s tribal dominated districts.
“Through this partnership the GOAL programme will provide economically and socially marginalised young women with the tools and guidance they need to succeed, using technology they may otherwise have not had access to,” said Munda, while launching the event in the capital. Participants from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, who are enrolled in the current programme, were present at the event.
The programme will include weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions, focused on a range of skills such as digital literacy, entrepreneurship and online safety. Following the programme, the participants will graduate to the GOAL alumni and will receive support from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Facebook.
The ministry will also work with district administration and other government agencies to help secure qualified participants with a fellowship, so they use their skills.