Committee 4 Wagga's school leadership program participants value group over glory.

Written by Dan Holmes - article originally published by The Daily Advertiser here.

28 February 2023

School Leaders Program participants Rylan Mahoney, Tisha Bahri and Fatemeh Abbasi. Image by Madeline Begley for the DA.

Future leaders were given an early opportunity to pitch themselves to the public ahead of six months of workshops that could determine the direction of their future.

Now in it's eighth year, the School Leaders Program offers senior high school students a chance to advance their leadership skills through training modules, networking and mentorship with existing local leaders.

Committee 4 Wagga executive assistant Michelle Ford said the program is designed to take participants out of their comfort zone physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"This group is already very confident, so it's going to be amazing to see how they develop over the six months of the program," she said.

Program participants Fatemeh Abbasi, Tisha Bahri and Rylan Mahoney weren't shy about expressing their opinions about what makes a great leader. Their answers may surprise, coming from what has been labelled by some as the most self-centred generation in history.

"Someone who doesn't talk about themselves, but talks about their community and how to make a difference for everyone," said Ms Bahari.

"Making a collective decisions is one of the most important things," said Ms Abbasi.

"The ability to reach people, connected with them, get on the same level as them," said Mr Mahoney.

C4W school leaders program coordinator Claire Markwick said self-awareness is a big part of this program.

"We want them to be comfortable with themselves, comfortable with their own leadership style," Mrs Markwick said.

"This year, we're bringing in community mentors from different cultural and community groups, so they see leadership from different perspectives, and learning it's not just about government and business."

Marina Gabra, who completed the program in 2019, has already had the opportunity to put her training into practice as an inaugural member of the Regional Youth Taskforce.

"By teaching us interpersonal skills, working on our communication as well as helping us find what matters most to us, my confidence certainly increased," she said.

"This has helped me and continues to help me tremendously."