Leadership Activities for Youth

You immediately recognize a born leader when you come across one. At a very early age, you would observe that a potential leader displays particular attributes such as being independent-minded, having patience, strong, hardworking and having several other positive leadership traits. However, an efficient leader can also be developed. In today's world, who can be better leaders than young people? There are many young individuals who, with some leadership activities for youth, can be made into professionals possessing energetic and effective leadership qualities. With the help of youth leadership activities and trainings, youngsters can certainly be molded into better leaders of tomorrow.

Leadership Activities for Students

If you are a parent and want your young ones to have leadership and management qualities and excel in handling things, it is suggested that you find a suitable youth group for them. Being in a group will surely help young individuals to present their views and communicate with other people of the same age, and this channel has been proven useful in developing leadership qualities in young people. The more a youngster communicates and mingles up with other people of the same mind-set, the more he will be able to lead people and show them the right direction.

If you are wondering about leadership activities for middle school students, you need to ensure that you choose correct learning and leadership training activities. The leadership training activities have a significant impact on the way youngsters are trained. You need to consider leadership activities which are highly interactive, challenging and thought-provoking.

• Small group projects are a good technique of involving youngsters in effective communication, problem-solving, and cooperation. Search for new projects and activities that demand the youth to work in close cooperation over an extended amount of time. Make it a point to choose recorders to observe and report what happens in the groups.
• Encourage young people in the group to participate in community project work. Make partnerships and get involved with government agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations. While being in a leadership role, it is very crucial for a leader to be poised and confident. For this purpose, you need to teach young participants to carry out the training tasks with poise and self-confidence.
• Arrange conferences regarding public speaking techniques, interviewing, business etiquette and some other essential areas. Set up a governing committee which consists of only young people who would deal and handle community and society issues. Encourage the members in the committee to suggest their own rules and ordinances.
• Elect a different team of committee members regularly and note which participants have the leadership skills and qualities in them, and who can be prospective leaders.

Leadership Activities at Work

When it comes to leadership activities at work, you have to keep in mid that youngsters come in contact with different types of leaders when they start working. Becoming a leader themselves will take time and experience, and for this they will need to know and feel what it takes to become a good leader. The following activities can be used to stimulate leaders on the right path of leadership, but are also effective in introducing the topic of leadership to freshers and youngsters. They will get an idea of what makes a good leader, and what qualities are necessary to be successful as an effective leader.

Activity 1
Get people to form small groups and ask each of them to describe or narrate something about the best leader they have encountered. When they have done so, ask them what, in their opinion, made them think that the person was a good or effective leader. From their answers, effective leadership traits will emerge. Once you are done asking everyone, pick out the common traits that emerged during the question and answer session. Write these out and distribute them to the group, who can them use these as guidelines to becoming an effective leader.

Activity 2
Assemble in a large hall or a conference room that has ample place. Prior to assembling, print out leadership quotes (in a large, easy to read font) and stick them on the walls, remembering to keep a fair distance between each quote. Now once the group has assembled, ask them to move around the room reading the various quotes you have pasted on the walls. Once they have read all the quotes, ask them to choose a quote which they think matches with what they view as a good, effective leader. Once everyone has chosen a quote, ask them what made them choose that particular quote. Write down the traits that emerge, which can be used as reflective material for the entire group on what goes into making a good, effective leader.

When comes to leadership activities for youth, leadership training techniques and methods also play a very crucial role. Nowadays, with the advent of technology, there are many training means which can be employed for the purpose; such as movies, documentaries, educational and leadership videos, etc. Other efficacious training activities may also include action research and education, decision-making games and case studies. When carrying out and observing leadership activities for youth, you need to take note of which participants are displaying qualities of a potential leader. Later, you need to train them using specific leadership education methods and techniques.