How can you empower student leadership in your community?

Students need to be taught that true leadership is taking people along, and the ability to identify strengths and take initiatives to empower one another so that the sum of the parts is always larger than an individual contribution. Eg in the day to day student lives, when they work on a project for academia , each student has her or her own style of research , someone is a great writer , some one is a great presenter , someone has great design sensibilities. A true leader will identify these unique attributes , accoridngly allocate work & as a team deliver an impactful project . So leadership needs to be imbibed through experiential learning that they relate to

Give the real and authentic problems to solve. If you are able to give them school resources to help it often really encourages students to do a good job.

I absolutely agree. I know of a principal of a school who asked students to identify 5 problems they faced in their day to day school life. To solve each challenge that students themselves listed , a group or community was formed with a group leader. Each community worked on solving the problem they identified with full cooperation from various stakeholders & in the process the students solved their own problems. They learnt a whole lot of skills. - leadership - problem solving - decision making - innovation - seeking stakeholder cooperation.

The best way to nurture skills is by doing ! Give students real work simulations and let them experience first hand. Eg - If they are learning a lesson in branding , ask them to visit their favourite brand and research. If they are studying a management topic , let them research a few management sucess cases they see around . Every thing they study in text books needs to be applied.

To celebrate diversity it’s needed to create a safe environment for all. So all feel welcome to voice their opinion and concerns. Diversity will follow when it’s welcomed by the majority.

The best way to celebrate diversity in a classroom is by showing each other's work . Students must learn from other students . See new perspectives , new ways of thinking , new styles of application. That's when they shall develop a multifaceted approach to solve a problem & appreciate diverse ways of looking at any issue on hand.

One of the best ways to make students feel and value their community is to encourage each one to constantly showcase their initiatives or achievements in student & thereon professional lives. Peers should support one another's initiatives with connections , resources , collaborations , suggestions & congratulate achievements ! The alumini club of any education institution is a That's when the power of a community comes to life.