Dissecting Leadership Lessons For Children/Youths

Leadership has been described as the action or more of leading a group of people or an organization. It is also known as the act of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal. However, a leader is someone who can see how things can be improved and who rallies people to movie toward that better vision. Leaders in a way, help themselves and others to do the right things. They set direction, build an inspiring vision and create something new.
Leadership development has also been described as a process which helps expand the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles within organizations. This process means activities that can improve the skills, abilities and confidence of leaders and enhance the capability of an individual to assume leadership roles and responsibilities. This can be narrowed down to an individual integrating learning and practicing skill set, understanding oneself, and empowering and working with others to enhance competencies. Leadership development is however, critical for the long term success of any organization how things ought to be done in the future.
As we mark this year’s Children’s Day, today, Thursday, 27th May, 2021, which is an international holiday that was first established in Nigeria in 1964. The day marks a celebration of Children, raising awareness for issues that affect children and helping the adults appreciate that they are the future leaders of the nation.
In this light, Nigerians should think of grooming the young ones as the future leaders of tomorrow. Everybody is saying that the children and the youths are the future leaders and the youths are the future leaders of tomorrow how are they being groomed to be the future?
In an interview with Miss Tamunotonye Salta, a 17 year old SS3 student of Community Secondary School, Kalio-Ama, Okrika, Rivers State wants to be a leader the choir department of a church, She would like to contribute to the development of Nigeria by becoming a medical doctor so as to help the poor people and the less privileged that cannot afford the high medical bills for their survival.
Miss Salta added that, had attained some leadership skills from a School Leadership summit organized by ST. Paul’s church, A.T.C, Okrika. According to her, “My School sent us to the programme. We were taught how to be a leader, how to achieve our vision in life, and the qualities of a leader.
Mr. Vigilant Woforodo, 23 years old and final year student of Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, Rivers State University, has the passion to be a lecturer, an educator. He wants to one day be the Head of His department, faculty and then Vice-Chancellor of the University with God helping him, Asked if he had attended any leadership programme, he said no, “On my own, I have embarked on skills acquisition programmes. Right now, I gain advice from my mentors who are my lecturers especially my Head of Department. I believe, I have inborn leadership ability in me because I have been a leader in Secondary School as the Senior Prefect. It is still necessary for government and organisations to organize leadership training and development activities should more often be directed towards the children and youths.
According to Studies, the brains of children are forming and more plastic, their ideas about leadership and skills are likely to become ingrained and shape their behavior and attitudes in later life. We need to be shaping the children of today to be leaders of tomorrow. Children and youth development programmes are crucial for the long term success and development of any nation. These young people need leadership skills such as goal-setting, problem-solving and sound decision-making abilities necessary for leaders. These skills are needed for success in today’s worlds.
Leadership development apparently start in schooling years.Teachers are keen to develop leadership in their pupils.They have a vast array of mechanisms for giving children the opportunity to experience being in a leadership role like school captains,Head boy or Head girl,prefects,monitors,class representatives and so forth.
Occasionally, this is a development initiative open to all,but where they can influence these opportunities, teachers commonly choose those pupils who have demonstrated relevant leadership qualities in their eyes and exclude the rest.
However,we envisage a future where teachers who are empowered as leadership developers with deliberate and systematic approaches will help all their students realize their leadership potential.
Subsequently, outside the classroom environment, teens and youths must be encouraged to gain skills knowledge necessary to lead civic engagement, education reform and community orgazing activities.
Programme for youths can be through participating in Community programmes like improving healthy well being,farming, access to technology for Community organizations through the addition of libraries and resources in communities with high poverty rates like slums, fishing selltments and build awareness for youth mental health services.
The action plans can help youths into leadership roles and make changes in their communities and the larger society.

By: Ibinabo Ogolo