Grade 9 Discover the Leader inside themselves!
“He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” John C. Maxwell
On Wednesday 30th September, the first generation of High School students at Avenor College commenced a ten week programme to develop their leadership skills. Our school values a broad, rich education, and for this reason, our students will have the opportunity to do far more than simply prepare for examinations during their four years with us.
Authentic Leadership is an educational programme that identifies and develops the leadership potential of young people. On successful completion of the five modules of study, students will have the opportunity of becoming an Ambassador. Before the course, our students met some existing Ambassadors of the project, and everyone was very enthusiastic about starting the programme.
The partnership between Avenor College and the Leaders Foundation came about due to our shared vision and values. The Leaders Foundation is about aspirations, unique experiences and values. Together we aim to empower the next generation of leaders, promoting a model of leadership where change starts at the bottom. The Leaders Foundation say:
“We contribute to the modernization of Romania by developing responsible leaders and a mentality oriented towards involvement and action.”
During the first session, Grade 9 students pondered what makes a person a leader. They worked interactively with the course leaders, and every voice was valued. Here is an extract from the course materials:
“A leader is a person who has a vision and who is using one sort of an influence to mobilize one or more people to follow him in order to achieve satisfaction. The leader’s vision is based on positive results for all who follow.
A leader has the ability and the responsibility to determine the level of expectations, to motivate, inspire and seek new ways/methods of action. A leader needs no formal status or official position to persuade; therefore everything results from their ability to communicate with people around.”
The Leaders session was held in the Grade 9 form room this week, with a wonderful view of the forest as a backdrop to the activities. Future weeks will see the students experiencing different environments, both within and beyond the school campus. This is the inception of the next generation of Authentic Leaders!
For those of you interested in reading more, here are some recommendations for books and websites:
Secrets of Success; Dale Carnegie
The 360 Degree Leader; John C Maxwell
Emotional Intelligence; Daniel Goleman
