• iGeneration Peer Leadership Program
     
    With the rapid change in technology and its impact on our lives, it is clear that the Internet is no longer the defining feature in the lives of children and teens. Based on research, we have now discovered a separate generation, which we label the "iGeneration" with the "i" representing both the types of mobile technologies being heralded by children and adolescents (iPhone, iPod, Wii, iTunes) plus the fact that these technologies are mostly "individualized" in the way they are used. There are researchers that feel that this new generation encompasses those children and teens born in the new millennium and are defined by their technology and media use, their love of electronic communication, and their need to multitask.
     
    The challenges of the future are unquestionably great ones, bringing widespread recognition of the need for effective leaders in all sectors of s o c i e t y. Although all people have some leadership potential, the skills necessary to be leaders do not necessarily emerge in the natural course of one’s life. Organizations like ours that provide services to youth have unique opportunities to foster leadership in young people by creating programs that provide opportunities for leadership development.
     
    The rationale for youth leadership development is threefold: 
    • to provide opportunities for students with leadership potential to develop, refine, and practice
    • to enable students to experience their power to effect change by exercising leadership in their environment through formal and informal interventions
    • to create future societal leaders
    Peer leadership programs like ours empower students to create positive change in their environments, are student-led, and thrive within communities that value and support the program in word and action. These programs provide potential student leaders with opportunities to refine and build upon their leadership skills, gain new knowledge, develop new attitudes, and gain experiential practice in their role as leaders.
     
    Although there are variations in program models and the contexts within which they exist, the following are general goals that promote success and are characteristic of exemplary peer leadership programs:
    • to provide students with opportunities to develop and practice leadership and social action skills in order to become catalysts for change;
    • to provide a forum where young people feel safe to learn about and discuss important issues;
    • to provide students with opportunities to develop awareness and understanding of community issues, problems, and resources; 
    • to use positive peer influence to promote a h e a l t h y, supportive, and re s p e c t f u l educational environment;
    • to develop social responsibility in youth with opportunities to provide community service and model pro-social behavior;
    • to increase young people’s self-esteem, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving abilities through opportunities for real-life application in the school and community; 
    • to provide opportunities for the development of student-led activities to educate peers about relevant issues that impact the school climate.
Last Modified on September 7, 2014