One of KidsCan’s projects is the KidsCan Youth Council. It is a year-long scholarship programme which supports young people towards success, leadership and community
engagement.

The Youth Council is made up of ten students (aged 16-18) from all around Aotearoa New Zealand, who have been under-privileged or come from resilient backgrounds or who have benefitted from KidsCan programmes themselves. They are young people who have a desire to help others and want the opportunity to have a leadership role in their communities.

KidsCan partnered with us to create a 3-day outdoor adventure programme which focused on supporting the Youth Council students in gaining confidence and leadership skills, plus developing individual goals for themselves.

Our instructors, Nat and Joel, took the group kayaking and hiking around Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.

They also led the group in some leadership activities which focused on understanding different values and different comfort levels within a group. For example, they were asked questions like “How comfortable do you feel in deep water?” or “How much do you value time alone by yourself?” or “How connected do you feel to your culture?”

Seeing everyone’s different answers helped the students to understand how we all have different values and experiences, which, in turn, helps develop self-awareness as well as empathy and understanding for others.

After the programme, the students gave us some feedback:

“The group activities have helped me be able to talk and communicate with people I don’t know.”

“I’ve learned to be ambitious [with my goals]. It could pay off.”

“Our hike was so hard. It felt good to complete it, though.”

Ray, the KidsCan co-ordinator, gave this feedback:

“Kayaking was a youth fav. There was a good balance of education, skill, ease, exploration and playfulness. The hike was incredible and a great challenge for the youth. [The instructors] both had a very relaxed nature which made it easy for youth to feel comfortable and safe around. Good safety and risk management. I look forward to working with Adventure Specialties Trust again!”

This article is taken from our December 2023 Christmas newsletter.

Click here to read the rest of the newsletter.

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How do you teach leadership?

Here are three stories to demonstrate different aspects of leadership:

LEADERSHIP THROUGH COMPASSION

Princess Diana shaking the hands of an AIDS patient

In the 1980s, AIDS arrived on the world stage. It was a new, frightening disease with no cure and was rampaging through communities and countries. People believed that you could catch AIDS by touching someone who had it. Sufferers were shunned. In 1987, Princess Diana, one of the most famous people in the world, opened the first unit in the UK dedicated to treating people with HIV and AIDS. During her visit, she shook the hands of a patient without wearing gloves, and changed people’s perceptions of the disease forever.

LEADERSHIP THROUGH SURVIVAL

Malala Yousafzai’s campaign for female education

Malala grew up with northwest Pakistan, where the Taliban had often banned girls from attending school. From the age of 11, she was a vocal supporter of female education, receiving international praise for her advocacy work. A few years later, the Taliban attempted to assassinate her, with a gunman boarding her school bus and shooting her in the head. She survived, and the attack provoked worldwide outrage. In Pakistan, it led to the ratification of the Right to Education bill. Since her recovery, Malala has continued her advocacy work, and has become the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She has also addresses the UN, met world leaders, and founded the non-profit Malala Fund.

LEADERSHIP THROUGH INSPIRATION

Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech

Martin Luther King was the most prominent leader in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s until his assassination in 1968. He modelled his strategy of civil disobedience and non-violence on the successes of Mahatma Gandhi, and received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1963, he made a speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. His speech continues to inspire people to this day. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.”

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A fun, team-building exercise from a leadership camp with Waiheke Primary School earlier this year.

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