This week in Leaders UNITE at the International Preschool of Raleigh the students conducted a discussion and an activity about leadership. First, we had a discussion about what it means to be a leader. We always try to have this discussion every few weeks at the beginning of our sessions to see how students’ perception of leadership has changed throughout their time in Leaders UNITE. And especially with this younger age group who had not heard much about leadership before this club, it is also very interesting to see what they have learned about what it means to be a leader. The students all gave very sophisticated responses highlighting not just the importance of “leading” but also the importance of being a team player and helping others. Students said that a leader helps their friends and peers when they are going through a difficult time, stands up for others if someone is being mean to them, checks on others if they seem lonely or upset, helps others if they are struggling with an assignment, listens to others, respects their teachers, and volunteers to assist the teacher at school. I was very impressed by the students’ understanding of the importance of listening and helping others, and their responses had definitely become even more complex than they were a few weeks ago.

Following this, the students and I talked about the importance of setting goals as a leader, and working towards specific goals as a leader and within a team. To show students how this works, we all made and decorated cards of New Years resolutions. Each student thought of one goal/resolution that they wanted to accomplish for the upcoming year, and we wrote them down on a piece of paper for them to keep. I told the students to hold on to their individual resolutions throughout the year and continue to use them to remain motivated and remind them of their goals.