FEA’s Youth Leadership for Tomorrow Today:
The Pathway to Improve Your School and Community using 21st Century Skills
Rationale
Presently, many schools and the teachers therein are overwhelmed with the requirements of the academic curriculum and feel they don’t have time to actively teach the “soft skills” or “the other side of the report card”. However, the research is crystal clear: students who demonstrate initiative and leadership are more likely to succeed in school and, ultimately, in life. The 21st Century Skills Framework defines these characteristics as the ability to:
- Cooperate with peers (collaboration)
- Resolve conflicts
- Control self emotionally and physiologically (resiliency)
- Manage time
- Set goals and complete their work
- Identify and solve problems (individually or in groups)
- Communicate effectively
- Practice awareness of global cultures
To effectively create opportunities for our students to acquire these skills requires that schools look to capitalize on the time that is not currently being utilized on the core curriculum standards, namely after-school, weekends and summer.
In addition, we have also noticed that many “Leadership opportunities” are often afforded those children who are identified as “natural leaders”. Our curriculum is designed to reach those students who are “invisible” in their schools. We strongly advocate for those children. These students will be actively recruited.
Outcomes:
Students who participate in the Youth Leadership for Tomorrow Today extended program will:
- Develop the skills, ethics and values conducive to effective citizenship
- Engage in student created service learning projects that focus on and build social capital in their communities, thereby enhancing youth’s interaction with their school and community
- Create sustainable programs within their communities that contribute to positive youth development through:
- Culture
- Arts
- Fitness
- Gang prevention
- Relations with business community
- Cooking
Goals:
The Youth Leadership for Tomorrow Today curriculum can be used as a guide for all schools and is for students in grades 6-12. The curriculum creates opportunities where youth can learn and put to use the skills, attitudes and knowledge that are necessary to understand the transformations of this century and to reflect on these implications. The program also encourages students to realize that good leaders not only create knowledge, but also create situations in which others can do the same.
The program is comprehensive as it provides “conferences” for youth, technical assistance for schools and leaders, and training for advisors and mentors. The design of the curriculum will expect students to demonstrate and practice the skills, knowledge and disposition of leaders as they practice place-based problem solving in their communities.
Most importantly, the curriculum is responsive to those students who are not normally selected for a leadership program. Leadership activities are structured in a way that emphasizes experiential leaning and provides opportunities for genuine leadership while embodying high expectations and respect for the youth in attendance.
First, the advisors and mentors are trained in the delivery of the Youth Leadership for Tomorrow Today curriculum. Or, if the district prefers, our trainers can be employed to work with the students in the acquisition of the skills.
Next, the students receive direct, concrete training in the 21st century skills of communication, teaming, conflict resolution, time management, goal setting, reflection, etc.
Then, working together in teams, students identify a need within their community. Using their strengths, students create a project that addresses the need. By using and practicing the skills learned through the Youth Leadership Initiative, students are able to create sustainable links within their communities, including but not limited to:
- Establishing/enhancing a mentoring program between business and students, older students to younger students;
- Organizing and conducting cultural fairs, health fairs, environmental outings, indoor/outdoor community “game day/tournament”;
- Planning, creating and publishing podcasts of community members narratives;
- Participating in various town groups — town council, chamber of commerce, board of ed, etc.
Finally, student teams, reflecting the diversity our great state of New Jersey, are brought together at planned intervals to present their project progress to one another, articulating their action plans, obstacles and how they overcame or plan to overcome them. At the final articulation meeting, the projects are juried, with the winning school getting scholarships to attend the Youth Leadership for Tomorrow Today© culminating conference, a three day, two night conference, as well as team and school recognition at NJPSA’s award ceremony in the Fall.
Threaded throughout the year is technical support for the advisors/mentors in the form of coaching.