Leadership Games for Youth

A leader can be defined as someone who motivates and guides his team members, someone who leads and controls them and someone who is popular. Nobody is a born leader, in fact a person can learn how to be a good leader by inculcating and developing certain leadership skills right from his childhood and teen years. This is where leadership games for youth come handy. Leadership games contribute immensely in leadership training. Given below are some such effective leadership games.

My Leader, My Guide!
This is one of the most interesting of youth leadership games. To conduct this activity, divide the group into pairs of two and blindfold one of them. Next, place some objects in the middle of the room like chair, tables, books etc. Instruct the pairs that the blindfolded person is the subordinate and the other one a leader. The leader has to guide his subordinate from one end of the room to the other end, crossing the obstacles, without speaking a word and only through touching his body parts. Start with different pairs one by one. You will see that some of the leaders are sensitively holding their subordinates and guiding them step by step while others are only concerned about reaching the other side in minimum time to win the game. Also, some subordinates will readily take instructions while others may try to do their own thing, even though blindfolded.

At the end of such leadership games and activities, always take a debrief. Ask the subordinates - how they were feeling when they were blindfolded? Were they able to trust their leader? After that, tell all the leaders individually what mistakes they were making. If they were lacking in right communication or sensitivity, tell them how to inculcate that. In the end, explain the whole idea behind these leadership games, i.e. it is the leader who has a bigger picture or goal in mind so he should be responsible enough to guide and treat his subordinates in the right manner so that they deliver their part well in reaching that goal.

Lets Shape It up!
If you are looking for some team building games for youth, then this one fits the bill perfectly. To play this leadership development game, divide the group into teams of say 5-6 each. Next, give each of the teams some pencils, erasers, painting colors and a blank sheet of paper. Instruct the teams that you will give one topic to them, which they have to draw on the sheet of paper and then color it, the catch is that the team members can not talk among themselves. Also, only one team member can work on the sheet at a time and whenever you whistle, some other member has to take on from the previous one. Each team gets ten minutes to carry on this activity.

You give out a topic like, "picnic". Now, the teams can not discuss how to go about it, so a team member will take the initiative to start sketching. Then you whistle and you will find two-three team members together trying to be the next sketcher. Thus, the group's problem solving skills will be tested. Also, each member has to start from where the previous one has left, this requires lots of understanding on the part of team members about each other. Thus, group leadership games such as these are a perfect way to improve teamwork, decision-making skills and problem-solving skills of the team members.

Survival Tactics!
This is another leadership game and activity, which helps the participants to develop the leadership qualities such as communication skills, interpersonal skills, decision-making skills, etc. To conduct this game, make teams of 5-6 players each. Next, tell them that they have to come up with a list of ten things that they would take with them if they had to survive alone on a deserted island. Choose one person in the group as leader who will make observations and write down how the group arrived at the list.

In the end, ask the leader to make a presentation about the whole process, mentioning how the different members of the group behaved, i.e. how someone was coming up with creative ideas or how someone was perhaps not ready to listen to others or how one person was quiet and not sharing anything with the rest or how someone gave up his choices to please the rest of the group members. After the presentations of all the leaders, tell each of the participants their short comings as well as guide them on how to improve upon their leadership qualities.

Along with these games, conduct certain leadership activities such as involving the youth in community service, debate competitions, sports activities, event planning, etc, from time to time, to make good leaders out of them.