Student Leadership

At Where there’s a Will we believe that all young people have the potential to lead and we recognise that many may not have the confidence to take this on without being involved in effective training.  We have designed a Student Leadership development program to address the needs of young people from Year 5 in schools through to those aged 18 – 25 year old in the workforce.

Our Student Leadership program builds confidence in the participants and inspires them to lead with their strengths to be the best people they can be.  This program extends to all young people, not just those who hold existing leadership positions within a school and/or community.

Our program includes:

1. Year 5 Leadership Workshops

These workshops are designed and delivered by secondary students for their primary partner schools prior to students entering their senior year in primary school. We are currently trialling a day long workshop which features learning about leadership, teamwork and their role in making a difference in their schools and communities.

2. Burn Bright Workshops for Years 8, 9 and 10

We employ an external provider, Burn Bright, to conduct a one day workshop for students selected by their schools identified as “influencers” in their year / peer groups. For example: They might be a sporting team captain, a dance leader, a standout in the chess or computer team, an influencer in their peer group.

The schools include: Scone High School, Scone Grammar School, Muswellbrook High School, Merriwa Central School and St Joseph’s High School Aberdeen.

One hundred and fifty students each calendar year are involved in a range of activities to assist in developing positive relationships between themselves, and by ripple effect, their schools, families and community, during a one day workshop.

Some of the aspects they learn about include:

  • Leadership in more detail and what impacts on their leadership,
  • The need to communicate confidently,
  • You don’t have to wear a badge to be a leader,
  • How energy and enthusiasm assist leadership, and,
  • The importance of having a vision and being able to set goals to achieve their vision in their schools and communities.

3. National Student Leadership Summit

Each year, four Year 11 students from each of the five secondary schools in the Upper Hunter, are selected by their schools for their leadership potential, to attend the National Student Leadership Summit at St Peters College in Adelaide.  Students interact with approximately 120 leaders from school across Australia throughout a day of intensive training focusing on how they can make a difference in their schools and communities as leaders. Some of the things they learn about include:

  • Using their strengths, and those of others, to bring about effective change in a wellbeing setting,
  • The leadership journey of other students and often very successful people in Australia.
  • Sharing ideas to build a strong team to work with and achieve goals,
  • Strengthening their leadership roles within their schools, and,
  • How to use a planning tool to bring their ideas to fruition at both school and community levels.

4. Upper Hunter Leadership Summit

The students who attend the NSLS in Adelaide use the skills they have learnt, and upon return, design and deliver a Student Leadership Summit to meet the needs of 150 students in Years 10 and 11 from the five Upper Hunter Secondary schools. The students involved are selected by their schools and their training features some of the following:

  • Developing positive relationships to aid leadership,
  • The importance of effective communication,
  • Using our strengths, and the strengths of other students, to bring about positive change in our schools and communities,
  • Planning as an essential ingredient for leadership success,
  • Sharing ideas and stories builds connections and aids leadership,
  • The importance of being positive, and surrounding oneself with positive people and support.

5. Leadership in the workplace

We are currently designing a program for 18 – 25 year olds who are new to their career or have recently entered the workforce. Aspects of a weekend workshop might include:

  • Assessing strengths and learning how to use them to advantage in the workplace,
  • Taking responsibility for oneself in the workplace,
  • Just because you are new doesn’t mean you can’t lead,
  • What drives our work leadership journey, what happens if something gets in the way of my progress?
  • The importance of vision and goal setting,
  • The role of teamwork in bringing about workplace success,
  • How have others made progress in their leadership journeys?
  • Planning is a key to success.