THE ORGANIZATION
GenDerations Mentoring International is a more-than-for-profit organization in Switzerland, India and the USA. The programs employed by GenDerations are designed to guide young boys and girls in their transition from adolescence to adulthood. GenDerations uses well-trained volunteer mentors to guide young people in acquiring a secure sense of identity, a mature orientation toward their lives, and the ability to recognize and articulate their feelings in resolving their own personal and interpersonal conflicts.
GenDerations is an umbrella organization for four separate programs: Boys to Men, Man to Men (Mentoring), Girls to Women, and Woman to Women (Mentoring). Many prominent politicians, scientists and public figures in Western Europe support the goals and programs of GenDerations. Regional BTM/ GenDerations centers have been established in Hamburg, Ulm, Frankfurt (Germany), Zurich and Ticino (Switzerland), Santa Fe (New Mexico), Santa Barbara (California), Johannesburg (South Africa) as well as Dehli (India) . GenDerations is politically independent, non-sectarian, culturally inclusive and financially transparent.
We are unique in that our focus is on establishing a sustainable mentoring practice, enhanced by an initiatory experience for youth to intentionally mark their transition from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. Our initial training weekend “The Owl” is for 9-12 year olds. In our gender specific adventure weekends (ROPA) for kids age 12-17, through carefully crafted activities, we introduce the youth to positive traits of manhood and womanhood: connection to feelings, accountability, responsibility, respect, integrity, and service to a cause greater than self. We bring out the connection between the head and the heart, what we call "truth-telling".
Our funding is generated from a broad base of sources. Mentor and youth trainings, fundraising through government and foundation grants, parents and institutions like schools as well as private donors. One of our core principles is: no one gets declined from participation for financial reasons.
Selection and Responsibilities of Mentors
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The men and women who are GenDerations mentors have completed the mentor training program, participate in monthly supervision meetings (MentoRINGS), can provide a clean background check, and who are generally have the time and interest for volunteering.
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Through the school program GenDerations mentors present “real life in the classroom,” often with girls and boys separated by gender.
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Mentors live or work within the school surroundings and nearby communities.
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They are trained by GenDerations within the framework of social responsibility programs through their employers.
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The employer exempts them from work for several hours per week.
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The volunteer concept has proven itself for 15 years in various European countries. All mentors are individually interviewed, selected for talents and abilities, and after an extensive competency assessment, they repeatedly go through self-evaluations and evaluations by others.
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All mentors meet frequently for continuing training and for exchanges of mentoring experiences once or twice a month.
OUR FOUNDER
Stefan Hermann
@ January 2018 TEDxPanchgani
STEFAN HERMANN
German born author, social entrepreneur and global nomad Stefan Hermann (61) is an advocate for the re-invention of education. His passion for the subject can best be seen on the Oprah Winfrey show in May 2013. For over a decade he has been growing his global, more-than-for-profit network for youth mentoring called GenDerations Mentoring International, currently active in South Africa, Europe, Mexico, the US and as of recent in India. For large parts of the year he resides in Pune’s Deccan Gymkhana historic part of town after calling Santa Barbara, California home for 20+ years.
Between May and November 2017 he served as the 1st Executive Director of Boys to Men/Girls to Women San Francisco Bay Area. Stefan has been certified at the highest level of the world’s largest men’s work organization heading up weekends with often more than 100 men in attendance. In that context Stefan received the “Ron Hering Award” for exceptional leadership in 2004. Over the past two decades he made a name for himself as a master facilitator of work with boys and men; he supported well over 3000 males in their initiatory process toward a more conscious masculinity. While establishing the program in Switzerland he was a guest professor at the University of social science in Lausanne. His book “Futuring” (Gabal Verlag, Offenbach, 2000) and the deep facilitation experience around shadow work makes him an highly regarded expert of the ShadowToGold weekend, which he launched in numerous cities around India and in Mexico.
In the early 80s Stefan ranked globally amongst the Top 100 tennis professionals. He once held the Guinness Book World Record for the longest rally in Tennis history.
He is father to 7 adult children and dadaji to Sidney (21), Lena (10) and Finja (4) in Germany, Joshua (3) and Hazel (0.5) in Manchester/UK as well as Aman (3) and Atika (2), children to his adopted Indian son Rajendar in Rishikesh.
