Saturday, March 29, 2014

Teaching Leadership Development Crews About Conservation

By George Dodson


Leadership Development Crews offer a unique and exciting opportunity for individuals to refine their leadership skills. These crews are typically smaller than other summer crews and are composed of college-age individuals who want to become stronger leaders. The crew experience force individuals to enter a realm of discovery and growth, after all, becoming a leader is not easy.

In a seven-week session as a specialized roving crew, Leadership Development Crews will work in partnership with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to conserve Vermont's natural resources. Trail stabilization, construction of 40-foot bridges and maintenance of lakes are examples of projects in the past.

Apart from technical projects, Corps Members undergo an experience-based, strenuous curriculum in which they learn skills and leadership theory, and explore different leadership styles by means of hands-on workshops. At the end of their training and training, Corps Member have a chance to lead their crew for a week. Primarily, this crew will specifically emphasize taking complete responsibility of leading others, in order to train Corp Members for future Crew Leading positions. It is an intense learning opportunity based on instruction, discussion, action and reflection.

By the end of the summer, Crew Members in Leadership Development Crews will attain a lot of confidence, technical skills and a better understanding of themselves.

The VYCC offers two Leadership Development Crews: one comprised of both males and females, and one consisting of all females.

The Female Leadership Development Crew offers young women the chance to discover their leadership skills and explore the conservation field in an environment focused on support, encouragement, and empowerment. All-female programs, studies suggest, are highly effective in instilling confidence in women and encouraging them to enter the conservation and other technical fields, especially because these fields are traditionally male-dominated. These young women will be forced to expand their comfort zones, pushed to look into this field and learn from each other. Corps Members will benefit from the mentorship of highly-trained female leaders, who will add a gender and empowerment focus to the curriculum through discussion, facilitated workshops, sharing and support.

Young men and women have an opportunity to live and work together in the Co-Ed Leadership Development Crew where they can learn about their leadership skills and further explore the conversation field in a challenging and supportive atmosphere. Crew members will be expected to elucidate their respective take on the subject in thoughtful and clear manner. Corp Members who have the invaluable experience of working together safely and respectfully will return to their home and school community empowered.

Crew Leaders who part of the Leadership and Development group will be given the freedom to train, advise, handle and educate the crew in group living and work setting in the hinterlands. This jobs requires are burning desire to teach and train Corps Members in technical projects, group dynamics and the latest camping techniques. Furthermore, they will have to teach a meticulously stringent leadership curriculum and provide beneficial criticism to individuals who are still developing their personal leadership style. Leaders must be self-reliant, self-motivated and exhibit sound judgment, while also skilled in the logistical aspect of crew leading, (e.g. safely driving a passenger van each day to the worksite or on recreational trips).




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment