Leadership Camp

What an amazing first day of Leadership Camp.  In true Maungaraki style, the wind forced us to abandon some of our original plans, however Mr Pampalone and the senior students did not let it phase them one bit and the alternative programme was a whole lot of fun.  I especially enjoyed listening to some of the speakers who came to share their views on leadership, and was impressed with the amount of information the children retained and have been demonstrating already:

Peter Dunne - Making Good Decisions Means:

• Taking the blame when things go wrong
• Asking for advise
• Listen to those that know 
• Gather lots of information and think through the outcomes
• Trusting others and relying on them to get things done
• Represent your beliefs-make decisions that fit with your own philosophies.

Ricky Boyd - A musician who toured with Zed... (in a band called Canvas)
You have to create your own job...nobody will hand it to you.
Work hard and practice... You won't remember watching TV all your life, but you will always remember the music you play.
Be authentic ... Be true to yourself... It's easier said than done! Sometimes you have to be a 'character' and it makes it hard to remember to be yourself.
More info on Ricky can be found at   www.thebandschool.co.nz




Max Shierlaw & Amarosa - Hutt City Council
Max believes that:
Everyone CAN be a leader & everyone can LEARN to be a leader.
Doing the right thing earns you trust and respect
Caring for those around you is important in earning respect
Leaders have to help other people- they don't just order people around
Key Leadership Qualities:
The ability to talk to a group and persuade others - we can get better at this  by practicing and by encouraging and supporting each other
Being responsible and leading by example - standing up for what is right and following this with actions that back up what we say
Treat everyone with respect - listen to others views and express different opinions respectfully
Listen and give people praise and encouragement - thank people who make an effort, be sensitive to what people are saying even when you disagree with them, acknowledge people who do good things, listen to complaints and look for compromise.
Have Courage and integrity - do what you say you will do. Sometimes this means taking a risk. If you don't give things a go you will never improve yourself.
Leaders serve others and are humble - you have to show you have the heart to help people, you do it willingly and with a smile.

At the beginning of Max's talk we worked on an Acrostic poem together with Amarosa to think about the meaning of the word Leader - This is what we came up with:
     Laughter, loving, listen, loyal, learner
     Energetic, ears to listen, encouraging, education
     Adventurous, ambitious, appreciative,able to take the blame, adorable, advice
     Determination, debate, decisive, daring
     Enthusiastic, excited, excellent, environmental, entertaining
     Resilient, responsible, reliable, respectful

I think it's pretty good - can't wait for the rest of the evenings activities and tomorrow's speakers.  Watch this space for photos of the camp coming soon!