Field Journal, Week 3
Developing Leadership
- How have the workshops and discussions on leadership this week changed your understanding of what leadership means?
- Based on the discussions we have engaged in throughout the summer, my understanding of leadership has been shaped by how leaders interact with and uplift their local communities. Leaders strive to use their resources and organize information to make a positive impact on society. Leaders don't have to be the "boss," but they do take initiative.
- How might you imagine applying one model of leadership during your Laidlaw summer on campus—either within the Laidlaw cohort or beyond this community? While we often associate leadership and leaders with seniority, how might leadership be modeled among individuals who are among the youngest people on campus (i.e. you!)?
- I think that it is a large, common misconception that leaders must be the most experienced or oldest in a group. Oftentimes, leaders are the youth with revolutionary ideas. I want to apply a model of inclusive and comprehensive leadership that takes into account my community-specific needs. I hope to develop action plans in my research that yield tangible results. I also want to use my privilege and voice as a young person to represent the values and concerns of many young people like me.