A Variety of Ways Youth Leadership Clubs Can Help Develop Leadership Skills
Youth leadership training should include the involvement of teens in youth leadership clubs. Do your teens have plenty of leadership potential, but not an avenue to develop it in? Youth leadership clubs provide high school students with a structure in which they can practice and nurture their high school leadership skills.
Untapped Leadership Potential
“Sarah is your typical teenager. She goes to school and is in the drama club and on the volleyball team. When she has free time she likes to spend it hanging out with friends and going to social gatherings. Recently, her youth leadership teacher suggested that she join a youth leadership club. "You have a lot of leadership potential, and I would like to see you develop it with other students," she said. Appreciative, Sarah decided to sign up for the school's leadership club, and see what it was about. . .”
Youth Leadership Clubs: A Variety of Ways to Build Leadership Skills
Youth leadership clubs provide a forum for student leaders to discuss ideas and practice and develop their leadership skills. They are a great opportunity for teens to get together and become better leaders through teamwork. They can do this in a variety of ways in a youth leadership club:
1. Offices - youth leadership clubs have different offices that the student leaders can be chosen for, including president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, etc. Holding these offices helps to develop the leadership abilities of students, and teaches them a higher level of responsibility.
2. Rules of order - many youth leadership clubs have rules of order through which they handle meetings. These include meeting introductions, raising your hand to be called on, and seconding motions, among others. Rules of order give the youth a structure with which to work, and builds their leadership skills of dealing with public forums.
3. Issues - youth leadership clubs give student leaders the opportunity to discuss issues going on around them and in their lives. It can be issues at school, home, or outside that they bring up to discuss with the other students in the club. Together, they can brainstorm for solutions to problems and learn from each other.
4. Projects - one of the great things about youth leadership clubs is that they provide students the opportunity to participate in community service or other types of projects. Student leaders can vote on, and plan and organize projects to help at school or in the community.
5. Speakers - youth leadership clubs often have speakers that talk to them about different topics that are important in society or at school. They can range on a variety of topics, and the speakers can be business leaders, professionals, or even parents.
6. Field trips - teens in youth leadership clubs often have the chance to take field trips with their fellow students. They can be to educational places, such as museums and exhibits, or nature hikes. They can also be to places where leadership is evident, such as government institutions or businesses.
Leadership Skills Can Translate to Many Areas
“After joining the youth leadership club, Sarah discovered that it was a great place to share her ideas and participate in projects and field trips that built her leadership skills. She was able to translate these skills into becoming a captain on her volleyball team, and getting a lead role in the school play.”
Youth leadership clubs are wonderful student leadership development programs that get student leaders involved in developing their leadership skills with other high school youth. By joining a youth leadership club, youth are much better able to build on their potential and become better leaders.
A few organizations that have youth leadership programs outside of school are 4-H, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and YMCA.