This is a direct quote from one of the young people that came to the Launching Young Leaders workshop we ran earlier this year.

It is also an accurate picture of the balance of society; it is our young people who are heading into the future and holding the reigns of change. Even with the resistance of ageism, they are at the cutting edge of the changes around how we work today and what it will mean to lead. A key aim of the Launching Young Leaders (LYL) workshop is to help equip young people with the skills to lead well.

15 participants attended the workshop held in July and they came for a variety of reasons. Here are a few reasons offered by some of the participants;

• to improve and develop my leadership skills and apply them immediately in my current role.
• to know how to act with authority and as a leader whom people are willing to back
• provide me with additional tools and skills that will help me become a more effective manager 
• to realise my potential, help me engage with opportunities and build my resilience

The Young Leaders Workshop is based on a methodology that has been influencing and transforming leadership for more than 70 years. Participants are usually experienced and established leaders. This day uses the same approach but it is adapted to serve the needs of a younger community. The day is dynamic, experiential and with opportunities to reflect on the learning in the exercises. We take into account that the world that these young leaders are in has changed. We are as Charles Eames prophesied moving from the “age of information into the age of choice”. The question of where, when and how to work are more relevant for new and emerging leaders as self-leadership and management are now more important in the world of agile, virtual and fragmented work practices.

At the LYL workshop, youth was defined by more than age; it also included young in role or in leadership responsibility. Amongst the participants were students and a variety of new managers, assistants, co-ordinators and outreach and support workers. These young adults came from all walks of life and enthusiastically engaged with the underlying focus of the day; exploration, transition and growth. It was designed as a space for learning and one participant stated;

The day has stimulated a lot of thought for me personally, and I found it to be really inspiring when I consider my future career, what I want to achieve, and what skills I have that might help me in achieving this. I think I learned what my strengths are (as well as my weaknesses), even if these strengths are not skills that are traditionally considered ‘leadership’ qualities.

The process and learning is deep, and the output directly applicable to the work context that the participants were working in. A position supported by two participants who stated

Learning the theory behind leadership gave me direct information that I need to be an effective leader.

I really enjoyed that the day was interactive as I thought this was a great way to learn. I particularly enjoyed the inter-group exercise as I thought that this was incredibly enlightening and helped me to understand a lot about myself – this truly was enlightening and I have thought a lot about the lessons that I took from the day since. 

This is an opportunity to think about leadership skills and self-leadership in a new way – participants stated that the day was not what they were expecting; it has a bespoke quality as those in attendance are encouraged to explore the questions and issues that are directly relevant to them.

If you are interested in attending or to find out more about our offers for young and emerging leaders please contact Coreene Archer the Director of the programme to find out more.