| Youth programs, such as the Leadership for Students Program, provide alternative educational formats, which help address the needs of our children. Typically, these programs are considered external to the general school curriculum. The Leadership for Students Program promoted youth leadership through outdoor, experiential education. The purpose of this study was to examine this program from the youths' perspectives.; The program was a semester-long project with sixty-seven contact hours. Twenty-five students participated. The program consisted of an introductory session, a parents meeting, two sessions of initiatives and group building, three sessions on a climbing wall, one three-day trip, a full day on a challenge course, a day spent facilitating their initiatives in a local school, and their closing banquet. Each session included group building, journaling, group discussions, and group processing. Group building included activities designed to promote and encourage trust, communication, self and social awareness, confidence, and skill development. Climbing was the outdoor experiential theme. Reflection and introspection were encouraged throughout. There were two main facilitators, one assistant facilitator, and one high school teacher involved in the planning and implementation of the program.; The program was founded upon ideas of promoting awareness of self and others through outdoor, educational experiences: Hellison's (1995) humanistic educational approach, Combs (1999) person-centered teaching approach, Rohnke and Butler's (1995) adventure education ideas, and Komives, Lucas, and McMahon's definition of leadership (1996). The findings of this study demonstrate the potential for a person oriented approach to education and provide insight into the students' perspectives on leadership. Four overarching themes emerged: belonging, play, self and others, and place. Subthemes included group building, support, trust, personal growth, respect, and communication. This study gave us insight into our educational methods, and who we are and how we, both individually and as a group, can contribute to education and our community. |
