DISTRICT STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

10:00a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Manual Training Center, Cranbrook, B.C.

Introduction and Icebreakers

Various icebreakers were played to enable the students to get to know each other. Examples were: Tag; Rock Paper Scissors; sitting in two circles, inside and outside circles and whoever was across from you, you introduced yourself. Then the inside circle would move one person over to repeat the process. This gave the students the chance to talk to someone they might not have talked to on their own. The inside circle then relocated outside with one leader and the outside circle stayed inside with the other leader to allow for more room for activities.

Initiative Activities: Communication

Both groups focused on communication initiatives. The outside group did a "Drawing Bugs" activity and "Knots in a Rope" and the inside group played "Tanks". All three activities drew on their communication skills. Students were able to play each activity twice learning from the first time which communication strategies worked and didn't work. Some comments from the students were:

  • directions need to be specific
  • using degrees to tell how far to turn instead of just left and right, up and down
  • relying on third party information and how it can throw you off
  • different interpretations of directions is challenging
  • different levels of voices
  • more direct commands

Students then filled out a communication summary in the booklets they were provided with.

Utilizing personal leadership styles

The students worked through their lunch on Understanding Their Leadership Styles i.e., the Energizer, Organizer, Researcher or Nurturer. The students worked from their booklets independently. Most were surprised at what they learned about their styles.

Initiative Activity: Teamwork & Group Dynamics

Collaborative Problem Solving

8 students at tables of 6 got together to solve a problem: There are 4 teachers, 2 educational aids, several classrooms and 4 periods during the day. You need to determine the correct order of teachers in room 703.

Hints: Figure out who the teachers are and who the aids are. Within your group, you will have all the information you need to solve this puzzle.

Leadership and problem solving skills that were utilized were:

  • Groups were given 6 other hints to be shared with table
  • Made a matrix
  • Made a list of teachers and EAs
  • Read each hint and wrote down important points
  • Decided what was common in the parts of hints
  • Put teachers in blocks that they worked in
  • Clues represented individual knowledge, common knowledge; all different clues; all have different strengths; did you need everyone in the group? yes

It was learned that it was easier to solve a problem with all the information instead of just trying to figure it out alone. Needed to organize and gather all the information first before proceeding.

Final Debrief

Students answered questions in their booklets on the last page and tried to relate their newly found knowledge to their everyday life. You now have an opportunity to represent student body and take it to higher powers to get things done.

How are you going to utilize your leadership skills inDSAC?

  • Do Not make assumptions, the wrong information could be costly
  • Every idea is a good one
  • Two way communication
  • You Interpret things differently than others, LISTEN
  • Don't assume people know what you know
  • Communicate your ideas carefully to fellow students

Developing an Action Plan

What can you do in the next two months in your own school?

  • Get younger students involved and interested in DSAC
  • advertise DSAC meetings and invite other kids to meetings
  • use personal invitations
  • challenge everyone to commit to inviting 2 people who you don’t know
  • encourage male students to join; more gender balance

David Martin thanked the leaders and advised students that one more video conference at the end of May will be scheduled to reflect on this day and to ask how student recruitment is going. This leadership conference was the building blocks to get students to know each other and to prepare them for Blue Lake. Students will continue building on contents they have learned today at Blue Lake in September. Hopefully, this will help them grow and develop as student leaders in their schools and community with a goal in mind to make a difference!!

Thanks to Columbia Basin Trust for providing funding for this Leadership Conference!!