Inspiring Student Leaders
Last week I had the pleasure of being involved in a series of seminars and workshops as part of Geelong Arts Centre’s Inspiring Student Leaders education program. I was asked alongside several other community leaders at various stages of their careers to speak about approaches to leadership, pursuing a career and pathways in my chosen field, as well as experiences I’ve had working in the Arts.
Schools from all over the Geelong and Surf Coast region sent their own student leaders in to take part in the program. The students heard from myself as well as leaders from backgrounds in Health, Fitness and Dance; Technology; and Sustainability, Environment and Activism. Each speaker was able to provide examples of how good leadership facilitates engaging collaborative working environments where teams come together to pursue goals or create shared experiences.
After we presented, the students took part in a series of workshops where each presenter led activities that highlighted leadership skills. These activities were designed to provide practical examples of leadership and teamwork building exercises. Through performing arts inspired activities, I gave the students simple tasks to create group movements and non-verbal improvisations, working as teams to achieve a collaborative effort. They were also challenged to think creatively within verbal activities with varying levels of difficulty depending on their age brackets.
After the workshops, the students came up with ideas to inspire change within their own school communities, keeping in mind the activities they had just engaged in as well as the presentations they had heard in the morning. They came up with a fantastically diverse range of ideas to take back to their schools to create opportunities for change or growth within their own communities.
A big thanks to Kelly and Emily at Geelong Arts Centre for inviting me to be one of the Presenters for the program. It’s amazing to see young people so engaged and excited about their futures!
