The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Spotting leadership potential
Last February, Peterborough Ortons Rotarians sponsored a young lady called Carys to take part in the Rotary Young Leadership Award. This involved her staying in a remote area of Derbyshire with around 30 complete strangers for three days in the middle of winter.
Not being the most confident person Carys admitted she was hesitant, rather worried, but very intrigued. Would she actually learn any leadership skills? Would the other people there like her? Or would she get lost on a hill in the middle of nowhere and never find her way back?
Despite these doubts, Carys stepped out of her comfort zone and went for it – and was so glad she did. On arrival she was soon making friends with the other young people on the course, stopped feeling nervous and instead became excited for what was to come. The activities were both varied and thrilling. They went abseiling, caving, rockclimbing and had plenty more experiences that involved teamwork and leadership. When Carys recently came to talk to club members about her experiences she commented on how well she bonded with her team. She said: “It requires a lot of trust to let someone hold you up by a rope while you jump off the side of a bridge!” This (combined with one or two sleepless nights of talking and laughing) meant she ended up creating strong friendships and is still in contact with some of her new friends.
Overall, this course helped Carys become far more confident – both in her ideas and in her abilities as a leader. Although it was a leadership award, she also learnt the value of teamwork - that a team doesn’t just need a leader it needs everyone in it to work together, and help each other, in order to succeed. Carys said she was extremely grateful to Peterborough Ortons Rotary club for giving her such an amazing opportunity. She hopes other young people will get the chance to benefit from such a brilliant experience.
Contact me if you know a young person (13 – 16) with the potential to give leadership to youth through voluntary and/ or vocational activities. Rotary may be able to offer sponsorship for 2020.