Monday 20 July 2015

Olashore trains students on leadership skills

With much commitment to raising leaders, which will fit into dynamic global society in the 21st century, Olashore International School has taken up leadership trainings for its students and has just concluded the grand finale of its inaugural curriculum based student leadership training for this academic year.
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The Social Change Project Presentation, which is part of the signature leadership programme and anchored by a United States based consultant, Mr John-Ubong Silas, was organized for Year 7 to Year 11 students. Each group had to devise a service project addressing a societal issue, make presentations, and a panel of esteemed judges would evaluate them based on their presentations. The projects were assessed against the quality of students’ research, and the sustainability of the project.

According to the Principal Derek Smith, “In the rapidly changing and increasingly complex global society that we live in, we believe that there is a need to develop students with the mindset and capacity to lead and deal with this change. This is something that we as a school, Olashore, have taken on as one of our key responsibilities to our students.”

Similarly, the Chairman, Board of Directors, Prince Abimbola Olashore, reiterated “The future of Africa nay the world depends on the connections made between leaders at a young age and their ability to share ideas, identify opportunities and build dynamic organizations. To achieve this, children need to be given structured leadership training as early as possible and the opportunities to apply the skills learnt. The School was founded on the values of academic excellence, discipline and leadership, and having recognized that change is a constant factor in life, it strategized its education needs to encourage students development of leadership skills to excel in a change oriented environment. Leadership, which is embedded in the fabric of the school, has remained one of the key qualities that make our graduates stand out.”

Speaking at the event, the Leadership and Social Responsibility Consultant from the United States, Mr John-Ubong Silas, stated: “When I asked friends about Olashore International School, three elements kept coming up: Strong academics, well rounded students, and poised student leaders. The School has a rich tradition of developing leaders and believes strongly in the value of service to others and society. We live in a world of constant change, challenges, and opportunities. Students learn the Social Change Model Leadership Theory through lessons covering 7 key dimensions which are Consciousness of Self, Congruence, Commitment, Common Purpose, Controversy with Civility, Collaboration and Citizenship. We are using a trainer to trainer approach. Through this process, the plan is to have a completely embedded sustainable leadership development programme at Olashore for all students within a 5 year timeline.”

The School has committed to raising leaders for the future. They prepare the future leaders to explore their potentials so as to create widespread change in the world. The School’s mission statement, “Olashore International is a learning community committed to academic excellence, nurturing each child to their full potential in a safe and serene environment, developing leaders for the dynamic global society in the 21st century.” captures the timeless values on which the school was built whilst placing them in a 21st century context, and further drives home their emphasis on leadership development.

Some students of the school testified to how the leadership program had helped them.

According to a Year 7 student, Aduda Joshua, “I have learnt how to provide solutions/answers to my problems. I have also learnt how to think about others before myself, help others in need. I now know that the values we have could be the same it just depends on how we rate them so I will not judge other people by the things they do and accept them for who the person is.”

Another student from Year 9, Edwin Ogidi-Gbegbaje, stated “I have really learnt a lot from the Olashore Leadership programme. I have learnt about the consciousness of self and congruence I have also learnt that you have to be aware of the beliefs, values and motions that motivate one to take action. I know now that happiness isn’t just a feeling but when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony. Translating these values into leadership, I understand that being a leader is not just about having power over people, but to exhibit the qualities of honesty, intelligence, integrity, love for his followers, fair play”.

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