What We Do / Interventions

Katalyst works towards its goal with a focus on 6 key areas

Mentoring

The mentorship program offers Katalyst students an opportunity to be mentored one-on-one by mature, educated individuals from varied fields who can expose them to a new set of experiences and perspectives.

Katalyst has a rich pool of 500+ mentors in India and abroad who have varied educational and professional backgrounds. These are individuals between 30+ years of age, engaged from different spheres of life and work. They volunteer to mentor and guide our students, helping them grow into confident individuals. Mentors structure their interactions to help their mentees develop holistically in the following areas:

  • Socio-emotional Support
  • Personality Development
  • Reading and Communication
  • Career Guidance and Support
  • Problem-solving and Decision-making

Proprietary Curriculum

The redesigned Katalyst Curriculum is a unique learning pathway to lead the transformational journey of the young Katalysts in the areas of Personality Development & Communication, Career Readiness & General Awareness, Technical Skills, and English Proficiency.

The vision of the curriculum is to enable the girls to develop as well-rounded leaders in personal and professional spheres of life. The curriculum comprises 600 hours of training which is provided across four years.

The curriculum is delivered through the following 6 courses which have 72 modules in total:

  • Trailblazer: Leadership Program
  • All Rounder: Field Exposure Program
  • Ms. Karismatic: Communication Skills
  • Career Climber: Employability Skills
  • Wordsmith: Blended English Language Course
  • Technosaurus: Emerging Technology

Financial Assistance & Medical Insurance

Katalyst follows the "learn and earn" model by giving financial support to students as an incentive. A scorecard is maintained where each student is given a grade for each of the following parameters:

  • Number of hours of training and field visits attended
  • Number of mentor interactions per month
  • General attitude based on a rubric
  • Academic performance in college

Financial value is assigned for each grade, and the amount thus calculated is paid every six months.

Medical insurance is provided every year to the student and her mother or female guardian. This gives access to prompt quality medical treatment and avoids absenteeism or lost study time due to the student’s or mother’s health.

Digital Enablement

Katalyst gives new laptops to each girl at subsidized rates. It gives them access to technology , the internet, and various computer programs.

Internships & Corporate Engagement

Katalyst believes that every student should get exposed to a world beyond their reach to learn and explore. Hence we provide students with assistance in getting internships that give them exposure to the practical side of what they have learnt so far in the course and help validate their decision to do such kind of work in the future. This intervention bridges the gap between academic curriculum and industry and helps girls build a network of people needed to eventually succeed in life.

Field visits expose Katalysts to different industries. It includes floor walks in a factory or a company, where students learn about its foundation, structure, and culture. Such visits benefit students by giving them a glimpse of the real world of work.

Placements

The objective of this intervention is to ensure that every Katalyst gets placed in a prestigious company, to raise the capacity of Katalysts to command a higher annual salary, and to enhance the employability of these girl students, thereby making their footprints in the managerial cadre of India Inc.

Companies where Katalyst alumni are placed include:

  • AT Kearney
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Google
  • Indian Oil
  • Infosys
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • Mahindra
  • Mastercard
  • Morgan Stanley
  • Siemens
  • TCS
  • Visa