When you hear the word “Gallop” what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Oftentimes, when people hear the word “Gallop” they think of a horse that is moving at a very fast pace. Gallop, located in Taipei City, Taiwan, is actually an organization that uses experiential education to help and mentor people of all ages. While education is their number one priority, they also emphasize the importance of helping people discover their identity. Although Gallop does value opinions, they also understand the importance of basing decisions on facts and not solely on feelings. However, they also understand that there is a time and place for opinions.
I had the opportunity to interview, Stephanie who is one of the teachers at Gallop. Throughout this interview I was asking myself what exactly is experiential education? Well experiential education is the process of incorporating the 4 F’s; facts, feelings, findings, and futures; into any learning situation. In doing so, people come to better understand the difference between a fact and feeling. As a matter of fact, not all feelings are factual. While feelings are real, they aren’t necessarily true.
Gallop raises up mentors who then help their mentees to discover their identity and to be secure in who they are and what they are good at doing. In today’s society people are always looking to fit in, wanting to be a part of the latest trends, or wanting to put a label on themselves or others. Being a part of this organization is very family-like, they welcome everyone with open arms hoping that any individual that comes across Gallop, can dig deeper within themselves and find their own strengths and abilities. While Gallop is based upon Christianity, the teachers and mentors do not push their beliefs on others. However, Christianity is demonstrated in the way that each of the teachers interact with their students; teachers ensure that every student receives the best of the best!
One of the mentors at Gallop is Stephanie Lin. She was born in Singapore and came to the U.S. when she was nineteen years old to further her education and become a Registered Nurse. Upon graduation, she left the U.S. and went to Taiwan to work as a secretary for an educational magazine company. Several years later, she and a couple of friends, who were very passionate about education, came together to start Gallop! It wasn’t easy because they all left their full-time jobs. But they had vision, and it was the vision that drove them to make this decision.
I thought it was interesting because Gallop creates life-long mentorship relationships. Unfortunately, when I had a “mentor”, it wasn’t life-long, after a few months we eventually lost contact. Gallop, on the other hand, strives to create lifelong relationships between mentors and mentees.
This organization not only does one-on-one mentoring, but also group mentoring. In doing so, they believe that one is able to get a fresh new set of eyes, and see things from a different perspective. Gallop feels that a mentorship relationship doesn’t only benefit the mentee, but it also helps the mentors as well. How? Leaders believe that they can also learn something from their mentees. Therefore, mentors make a point to listen to their mentees’ suggestions. This shows that leaders also care about their own personal growth, and want to ensure they are doing everything in their power to give their 110%.
Stephanie shared a very special example of a mentorship relationship that she has. Everyday after school, one of her mentees goes over to Stephanie’s house. The mentee loves music and really enjoys learning music from Stephanie! As her direct mentor, Stephanie is able to not only discover her strengths, but also her weaknesses. And in doing so, Stephanie is able to have deep conversations and guide her mentee in the right direction. Then in group mentorship, all the mentors and mentees usually gather together for an organized outdoor trip.This is where they can all get together to learn from one another.
Overall, Gallop is a great organization that provides mentorship opportunities to people of all ages. Founded by individuals who have the vision to share education and help people discover their identity within themselves.
