Developing The Leader In Everyone

An annual affair at the Sports School, Secondary 1 to 3 student-athletes would head to their Level Outdoor Camps every September, in order to test themselves in new and unfamiliar environments, aimed at helping them navigate mental and physical challenges and emerge as stronger individuals.

For the second year in a row, due to COVID-19 measures, the Level Camps continued to be suspended, but Secondary 1 to 3 student-athletes were taken out of their comfort zone to discover new qualities about themselves, during the Level Leadership Workshops conducted on school grounds.

Held over two days from 30-31 August 2021, the student-athletes learnt about Kouzes and Posner’s The Leadership Challenge, where facilitators from InnoTrek steered the student-athletes through developing 5 main leadership practices – Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart. 

“The workshops made me realise that there are times when I should speak up and voice my ideas, but also listen to my team members’ ideas. Sometimes we need to let others’ opinions be heard as there are times when they are unable to voice it out. If we notice them struggling, we should help them have an opportunity to say their opinions,” said Secondary 3 netballer Leow Pei Hann.

Classroom sessions were interspersed with practical activities to strengthen the learning process and help guide student-athletes through reflection and uncovering new aspects of themselves to develop.

“I definitely learnt more about myself today, and the hands-on activities led me to think more about going into leadership roles, such as the sports captain role. In one of the activities, our classmates and I had to play a trolley game where we had to stand on planks and move the trolley step-by-step to the finish point, all while demonstrating teamwork. I felt that I led the team well and guided the team successfully to victory. What I also liked about the activity was the chance for our classmates and I to communicate more and I felt that we strengthened our bond,” said Secondary 1 shooter Lee Zhe Kai.

For Secondary 2 bowler Rayden Lim Yisheng, the workshop motivated him to see that he could be a leader and role model to his peers should he continue to work on his leadership skills: “Our class participated in an activity which required us to think and act as a group. During the activity, I was encouraged to share my thoughts and explain how they could help us work towards our goals as a team. I discovered that communication is a very important quality of being a good leader, as communicating your thoughts and plans would allow everyone to work more cohesively. Being a good leader is something that everyone can strive to achieve if they put in the time and effort to reach common goals.”

Pei Hann too enjoyed the activities which included a team bonding game aimed at improving team performance called keypunch: “I enjoyed the keypunch game as we were supposed to do it as a class, and this allowed my classmates to contribute our ideas and help one another. This activity also made me realise that it was important to take risks and celebrate our small wins.”