GSL Launchpad At Rendcomb College
This autumn saw the launch of the 2017/18 Global Social Leaders Society. For Rendcomb College, their kick-off started with a Launchpad event on October 19th at their beautiful grounds near Cirencester. The day saw 38 students from Year 12 and some selected students from Year 11 come together to explore what impact they can have locally, as well as developing an understanding of some of the global challenges we face now and will in the future. The students at times worked in two teams, led by the dynamic and inspirational coaches Andy Dunn and Owen Bailey. A big thank you goes to Alice Wyndow, Assistant Head of Sixth Form, for the day would not have been possible without her vision.
The main objective of the day was to develop leadership skills, nurture the confidence and empower the participants to go on and lead successful social action projects as part of their Global Social Leaders Society. In order to achieve this, Future Foundations provided a comprehensive programme for the day that explored concepts of leadership and encouraged students to not only identify, but to create solutions to the challenges we face in society.
RATE THE PROGRAMME
96% of participants feel inspired to contribute more in their school and or local community
Really enjoyed the sessions. The coaches had boys charisma and were always there to help me. Thank you very much, I feel inspired to be a great leader.
The day began with a motivational plenary by Andy, which was themed around self-leadership and that we are all leaders in our right. He framed the day around the idea that the concept of leadership is not a big thing that exists outside of us, but something that we all already have inside. He and Owen challenged students to think about their comfort zones. Owen asked the students, ‘Who wants change to happen?’, and ‘Who is willing to change?’, which saw some of the students identifying themselves as leaders right from the start. Something we wholeheartedly encourage!
The student’s then explored their ideas around the concept of leadership, and what it means to them. Following this, the students were provided with case studies about global issues so that they could assess the ‘Current Scenario’ i.e. Climate Change; Poverty and Gender Equality, with the students presenting their ideas back to the rest of the group.
Furthermore, they then partook in some experiential activities including ‘Raising the Bar’ to help them identify what approach they take as leaders when working through a team challenge. After a delicious lunch, the students underwent the Microfinance Challenge, where they had to come to a consensus over which entrepreneur they would support if they had the funds.
We discussed all the issues I’ve always written about, and GSL gave me a platform to discuss things, find solutions and improve on my skills. I’m very grateful. Thank you Amy and Deepa!
It was a lot more fun than I expected. I realised a lot about my potential. This programme has been really existing and I loved it!
The final day focussed on learners developing their project ideas and learning how to plan their social action. The learners were introduced to the Sustainable Development Goals competition and were encouraged to enter their projects after the programme. They spent the morning sessions planning their projects and preparing their presentations. They implemented the use of SMART goals to help them achieve their objectives in a manageable way. The three social issues that they chose were: supporting a remote community with health packs, an anti-bullying project to support other learners who are experiencing different forms of bullying (helping to raise awareness), and thirdly an education project to help underprivileged children living in slums.
It made me much more aware of how much I wanted to help the community.
Very good, nice mix between interactive and visual learning.
It allowed me to understand the importance of voicing my opinion.
