Host a Primary School Leadership Conference
facilitated by your own student leaders.
What is it? A Student Leadership Conference for grade 5 and 6 students presented by your year 7-10 students. A selection of your student leaders will be trained to run all aspects of a leadership training day for a selection of primary school student leaders from a range of primary schools from your local area.
These conferences are not for novelty value, so only schools who take this program seriously will be able to deliver this opportunity. The benefits to the primary students of attending a training conference run by students are innumerable. High School students currently performing a leadership role and presenting professional sessions on leadership training provide primary school students with a closer and more appropriate competency model. Your students will be trained to run the entire conference as professionals.
This conference program has been run successfully several times at Koonung Secondary College and Doncaster Secondary College as a pilot program. In order to prevent High Schools competing for participants, only one school per Local Council area can take up this program in semester. Each school that hosts a conference will deliver a different program. Additionally, we will re-write the program times to accommodate your school bell times so that primary students will not be outside for breaks at the same time as the rest of your school population. Sample programs are attached.
“To teach is to learn twice.”
Your students will benefit at least twice as much over those who just participate in a leadership training day, whose effects can often last only until the hype of the day wears off. However, when students are trained with a specific goal to accomplish they focus sharper and learn their material a second time over when they have to present to the participants.
Special Note For Principals: Inviting primary school student leaders to see your school and receive leadership training from your school leaders is possibly the best advertising your school can get. Part of the essential facilitation skills your students will develop is the ability to make participants feel connected and valued. That’s the kind of feelings you want primary students talking to their parents about.
What you need: A venue that will house a minimum of 30 students and a maximum of 90, as well as additional spaces for workshops to take place without interrupting other groups. You will also need approximately 25 student leaders drawn from years 7-10 as facilitators selected for their reliability and enthusiasm – but they need not be the model students of the school.
The school will be responsible for advertising to local primary schools, coordinating responses and other communications.
Ideal timing for a conference: The conference can be run at any point during the year, as previous schools have shown by hosting very successful events during terms 1,2,3 and 4. It seems it’s never too early or too late to host this event, provided you can allow sufficient planning time. Planning time needs to be a minimum of two months to give the primary schools adequate notice and to have your students trained.
Costs: $850 for training day and conference. Additional $475 for each further conference.
If the school wishes Second Strike to assume coordination of the conference, including advertising, registration and communication there will be an additional fee of $800 plus GST per conference.
If the school wishes to charge a registration fee to attend the conference, Second Strike recommends a maximum of $10 per head.
Students trained as facilitators will be provided with:
- A complete training session
- A facilitator’s handbook
- An instruction sheet for each session
- A Master of Ceremonies checklist
- A meet and greet checklist
- Access to a bag full of toys, paper, pens, whiteboard markers etc
- Support from a Second Strike facilitator available on the day of the conference
- Certificates upon successful completion
Both Koonung Secondary and Doncaster Secondary experienced such success with the conference that they wanted to run the event again. Koonung Secondary has, to date, run the event 15 times and Doncaster Secondary is now planning their 8th conference. After some experience with forums you may wish to train a new group of students to facilitate future conferences. At this point students who are already trained can take a leading role in the training session of the next batch of students.
To Make an Application for a Training Day Please Click Here
Testimonials
“It was a great experience. We felt like true leaders. We learnt so many new techniques and had a fantastic time =)”
-Olivia and Katrina, Year 8 Facilitators, Doncaster secondary College, 2009
“We have just completed out 4th Leadership Workshop with Second Strike & I am continuously amazed by the leadership qualities displayed by our year 8 students. When given these roles they really do rise to the occasion. Their rapport with the local primary school students is a delight to watch. The skills they learn & develop will certainly hold them in good stead for years to come.”
-Luisa Allen, Year 8 Coordinator, Doncaster Secondary College
“I enjoyed the Leadership Program. It taught me how to be a role model as well as how to be a trustworthy, positive and honest leader. I had a fantastic time.”
–Melanie, Grade 5, Doncaster Gardens PS
“It was an astonishing day. We learnt all about leadership but best of all we had so much fun!”
-Taha, Grade 5, Doncaster Gardens PS
“Discussions facilitated by year 8 students were followed by practical activities that supported the discussions. Discussions on leadership included public speaking, teamwork, communication, motivation and guided planning.
The feedback from the Doncaster Primary students was positive, as each student demonstrated a greater knowledge of leadership qualities.”
–Lachlan Poulton, Grade 5 Teacher, Doncaster Primary School