Research suggests that for aspiring leaders, crafting their own leadership stories is a powerful way to understand others, self-actualize, and engage and inspire others.
The concept is this: young leaders who describe their journey to leadership through storytelling and art uncover key challenges and moments of resilience and victory that inform who they have become and why their contribution to a group matters.
As they understand the journey of self, they can connect to their community and its challenges and needs. It is in connecting the two that makes a leader's experience and impact matter.
Creativity and unique personal expression are the key components of good storytelling.
Our work is to provide youth with resources and projects that ignite the creative spark already present in young people—whether or not they identify as artists, musicians, poets, or actors. Often, students who have not tried a particular art form find a way to express themselves, or fall in love with a new kind of creative pursuit!
At Presidency High School in Nizamabad, India, students in the Self-Awareness module are currently rising to the challenge and discovering their passions and skills.
We have seen beautiful drawings and storytelling pieces coming from Presidency that reflect increased self-knowledge and that help clarify their challenges and goals for the future. Today, we are excited to share these, including the first fully-playable game around the levels of Self-Awareness and what it means to young teens!
Based on the concept of Snakes & Ladders, the Self-Awareness Game that Presidency created is played with dice, and features tiles that ask critical questions from the curriculum they are experiencing. As students land on different spaces, they have the opportunity to dig deeper into their own personalities, hopes and fears, future plans, and other aspects of the self.
Gaming is a form of storytelling, and came from an inspired group of young, developing leaders.
Another exciting group project we are proud to feature is the lyrics to an original song about self-awareness in relationships.
The song, which Presidency plans to perform on video soon, was written in response to a difficult time. As many students discover, creative expression can be a positive way to release negative emotion around core life challenges. It is an inside-out method of finding strength, courage, and leadership capacity.
"Without you, I feel like leaving my life...
Without you, I feel like a bird without wings...
Without you, I'm just a sad song."
Hope's educational video project at the end of each module acts as the showcase for students' creative work throughout the program.
Students at Presidency School are showing their advanced leadership skills by getting involved in every step of video productrion.
From planning each element of the work to dividing up tasks, these "Roles and Responsibilities" posters are a testament to the collaborative spirit of the group.
This kind of planning, role assignment, and accountability mapping is critical to success, and often difficult for many corporate managers and leaders.
Hope is excited to be starting on this kind of skill building with young people early.
And it's thrilling to see the videos as students at Presidency pursue creative practice as a high form of learning and self development!