Soon we will be outlining some practical ways that we might develop Student Leadership in our schools. Just another couple of thoughts before we do.
If we are going to intentionally develop Student Leadership, who will be involved? Who will be engaged in the developing and who will be the recipients of that deliberate initiative?
The answer to the first part of that question is easy – all of us. We will model and teach from our understanding of good leadership. It will involve: faith, character, purpose, virtues, skills, abilities, purposes etc. all the things we’ve discussed so far.
The second part of the question has a developmental answer.
Initially all of our students will be engaged in leadership development. As we have already said, every person leads somehow and somewhere – but Biblically we also recognise that some are especially gifted to lead. In no way does this bestow a special value, or higher level of importance on that person, or that gift – it is simply one of the many gifts that the body needs.
We, and probably they, have no way of knowing or discerning whether particular young people have that gift unless we provide the opportunity. “There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” [1]
This means that we must provide leadership development and leadership opportunities for all. During the development process we will be able to identify the need for specific leadership development for some. We will not put in place hard and fast entry or exit points to specific leadership development – young people’s gifts become apparent at different ages and stages.
In our plans and purposes of developing student leadership, we must never lose sight of the big picture. We want our young people:
- to Love God and Love people
- to be equipped to live and act graciously and redemptively in the world
- to know God; to reflect His nature; to live incarnationally, to work for the thriving of all people.
We want every student to be this sort of influence. For some this will mean using their gift of leadership to intentionally lead and enable others in the great purpose of being ambassadors of Hope dependent upon the enabling of Jesus.
Blessings
Brian
[1] R Buckminster Fuller