Sullivan Leadership Legacies 2013
- 2014
Rene Leung
January
11, 2014
P: 2
The
semester is almost over so I feel a need to think of the variety of amazing
experiences that Community Leadership has given to me. In comparison with the
beginning of the class, I think that every individual in the class has managed
to evolve as a leader and a person. Although the class still has a tendency to
remain in their respective groups, I think that we managed to come to the point
where we would be comfortable separated from our usual friends. This has been
demonstrated multiple times during activities and events that required us to
act in personal interests that causes us to interact with ones who share them. Personally,
I feel that I can consider everyone in my class to be at least an acquaintance
who I can trust, if not a dependable friend. One thing that I am really enjoyed
about this class was the opportunities that were offered for me to help the
community whether it was outside in the general population or in the school.
The
beginning of the semester was used to get to know about each other and to plant
the root of trust between the students. This class was extremely different from
regular classes as it was obvious that there was a diversity of grades.
However, I knew a couple of people in other grades beforehand so it made it
more comfortable for me to act naturally within the class. It was quite amusing
meeting everyone else in the class, but it was obvious that we all still felt
uneasy by one another at the moment. With the following trust activities and
games that we did together, the uneasiness began to fade. I think that the main
activity that broke these barriers would be the “spider web challenge” that
required us to quite literally trust our classmates to help us from miserably
falling to the ground. Afterwards, I felt much more comfortable expressing my
ideas and opinions with the class as I didn't feel as mentally restricted as I
initially had.
Over
the course of this class, there has been quite a lot of activities that we
participated in but the one I personally believe to be the most worthwhile is
the Grade 8 Retreat. I was initially reluctant to the idea of being in charge
of hyperactive Grade 8s and it also made me feel anxious that this was the
first time that we were separated from our regular group of friends. I learned to
expect the unexpected in this respect due to the fact that I had a magical time
helping the Grade 8s feel welcome to the school and the Sullivan family. This
was also the first time that I actually felt like I was being a leader after
starting the class. During this event, my voice was the one that would cause
everyone to listen to instructions and it made me feel like had the opportunity
to change my role of student to teacher. I was ecstatic after this event as
well due to the fact that I had managed to make some friends in the Grade 8s
that were assigned to my group. Even now we continue to talk after so many
months from this day and I think that this was pretty amazing due to the fact
that the boundary between grades was abolished. For my part, I think that this
was the most valuable experience for me over the course of this class as it was
the point where I found myself more willing to act naturally as a person and a
leader.
It
was clear that despite how diverse our class was, there was a similarity of
shyness that the majority shared. I think that was how my personality
contributed to the class dynamic so prominently since everyone else was
unusually timid. In my opinion (and most likely everyone else’s opinion), I am
one of the more outspoken people of the group who had a tendency of being too
loud and restless. Others may find this as an inconvenience, but I find it as a
benefit to myself and the class. I think I manage to bring life to a relatively
silent group of people especially in the beginning of the semester where
everyone thought that if they spoke up they would be mauled by piranhas. I
think I frequently took the role of being the first follower for activities
since I found that this position, as underrated as it may be, plays a key role
to having everyone else join in.
The class was given a diversity of opportunities to
volunteer with environmental stewardship initiatives such as REleaf Planting,
Blackberry Removal, Partners in Parks, and the Shoreline Cleanup. My favourite
environmental stewardship initiative would be the first time we did the
invasive species removal. Although it was a rather tough and painful job, it
was fun to be surrounded in nature despite the fact that we were technically
destroying it (but it was for a good cause). I found it extremely fun to do
since it was a break from the regular sitting and working we normally do in my
other classes. Of course, it was not without hard effort as the blackberry was
incredibly prickly and rooted to the ground. However, I found that this was one
of the times where I could have a conversation with the ones in the class that
I don’t normally talk to and I found it useful as a way to continue to break
these barriers.
Our
class also participated in multiple humanitarian projects like the Food Drive,
Terry Fox Run – Cops 4 Cancer, Movember Whisker Wednesdays, Xmas Family Bureau
Sponsorship, God’s Little Acre Farm and CPR Certification. The most memorable
experience in this category for me was when we helped collect corn from God’s
Little Acre Farm. It was surprisingly more fun than I expected and I would
gladly be willing to participate again as it is both awarding and supportive to
does who need it. This was another great ice breaker since everyone allowed
their inner child come out since Mr. Vaughan wasn’t supervising us too
intently. It was one of the more physically demanding volunteering we did, but
I found it just as rewarding since it helped us learn about one another and
provided food for many people in the community who looked at that place for
their food security. I really admire the idea that God’s Little Acre Farm
promoted where it was basically a place where people helped people who were
less fortunate. This helps bring the community together in my opinion.
Lastly,
our class participated in acts of leadership which includes Grade 8 Retreat,
School Tours, and Remembrance Day. Besides the Grade 8 Retreat which I already
discussed about, I really enjoyed touring the visiting Japanese students around
our school. I thought that it was a really amazing way to get to know new
friends and share our differing cultures with one another. They were very
cheerful and exceptionally entertaining which proved to be fruitful in my
growth as a leader since I learned the importance of being friendly and open
towards others. Although they had not stayed for a long duration at the school,
I feel like I had made good friends while they were here since I learned a fair
amount about them and vice versa. Watching the introductions in the Bell Theater was also very exciting since it very amazing to watch how well and
precise their dancing was.
That being said, I
feel a need to discuss how my understanding of a leader has changed over the
course of this semester. In the beginning, I thought of a leader as the person
who was in charge of an entire event, the person who had all the answers. It is
obvious that I was very misguided by this belief as over this course I learned
that a leader is not limited to single role and its definition can be very
diverse. In my mind, a leader is someone who is willing to act and stand out
from the crowd without the fear of being judged. I feel like the type of leader
that I have grown into is the role of the first follower. The most underrated
version of leader has one of the heaviest influence to the general due to their
power to relate to what others feel first. Thinking about this influential
role, it has become one of main ideas that come to my mind when I am asked with
the question: What is a leader?
