Junior Leadership Program

Throughout Term 1 and 2, select students from Mac.Rob and Melbourne High School participated in a Junior Leadership Program. Students were split into four groups and led by Mac.Rob and Melbourne High alums through a series of six, 90 minute sessions focused around leadership and the different ways we can incorporate leadership into our everyday lives. At the end of the Program, the four groups came together for a live Q&A with three alums who have achieved incredible things in their life, both through leadership and their work. This was an amazing opportunity to take part in, and one I hope many students will get to continue to experience in years to come.

During the Junior Leadership Program, I thoroughly enjoyed discussing with my group a wide variety of topics about leadership and learning in a relaxed environment about the different styles of leadership as well as how you can be a unique leader by drawing on your own experiences and moral values. One thing I am sure everyone will agree on is that there is not just one way to leap a group; leadership is 100% tailored to yourself and you can choose any way to lead - you could be authoritative, democratic or even “laissez faire”, a hands off approach. One idea my group in particular came up with was that a leader can use any approach or a mix of a few depending on the situation in which they are leading and the ultimate goal they want to achieve. 

I’ve always been very open and outspoken all my life, and coming together with students who weren’t as confident about being leaders was incredibly insightful for me, because it allowed me to understand the struggles that some of my peers face, but it also showed me what leadership is from an entirely different perspective. I hope that in the future I can be a more mindful leader after hearing the struggles of more introverted leaders. 

In my group of 16 students and 3 peer mentees we were able to create a safe environment where we were bouncing ideas off each other, and every comment allowed us to explore so-called “simple” aspects of leadership in a completely new way and sometimes a really mind-twisting way. We had rant sessions, made marshmallow towers, and had to choose whether we would betray our friend to save our own skin or not. A lot of these were mental experiments to question our actions, whether as leaders or as individuals. 

What is right, what is wrong? This was a question that we agreed should never be answered the same. Lastly, a huge thank you to all students and mentees who participated, you truly managed to inspire me. 

“See yourself as a leader now. Leadership is an action, not a position.” - Cindy Pace

Maggie & Ellawen, Year 10