Nurturing Servant Leaders: A Practice of the Ladder of Children's Participation

Overview

The world is changing rapidly, and in the face of unknown future opportunities and challenges, a proactive and positive attitude, shared competencies, and the cultivation of leadership skills are becoming increasingly important.

This school is committed to cultivate its students to be servant leaders. In addition to hoping to enhance students' problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and teamwork capabilities, this school also hopes to nurture students' values of caring for others.

To this end, this school has referenced the famous child rights scholar Roger Hart's concept of the ‘Ladder of Children's Participation’ and through the School Policy Discussion Forum, the Self-organised Club Programme, and ‘Train-the-Trainer’ Leadership Training Programme, it has increased the level of student participation and nurtured true student leaders.　

Through various activities, this school has cultivated outstanding student leaders with confidence and a sense of responsibility:
• The Student Union organises the School Policy Discussion Forum, establishing a constructive communication channel between teachers and students;
• The school has launched a Self-organised Club Programme, allowing students to write proposals and then explain the rationale for establishing new clubs to the school; and
• The school holds ‘Train-the-Trainer’ Leadership Training Programme, providing opportunities for trained student leaders to serve as mentors and conduct leadership training activities for other groups (such as primary school students), consolidating what they have learned.

Participants of this seminar will understand:

1. how to increase the level of children's participation in the secondary school setting; and
2. how to provide high-quality leadership training opportunities for secondary school students.