A Bit of the Backstory of JomLead!

When we were brainstorming about JomLead!, we leaned a lot on Mark, who together with Lydia, recently joined the GSP team. Having been a teacher of early secondary school students in Texas for six years prior to becoming an assistant principal for the last three, Mark was able to inform us that research tells us that that 11-13 year old window is one of the most critical developmental periods of adolescence. With our GSP motto being "Transforming Lives through Sport," it made sense that we create an interactive learning experience that would help our JomLead! participants take time to reflect on the values and choices they were making against the backdrop of a greater understanding of their own uniqueness.

One definition of leadership is "influencing others." Our vision is to challenge our youth to become those who value that which not only contributes to their own good, but to the good of others. JomLead! provides an opportunity to not only have fun as part of a team but to also learn how to contribute effectively as a team member. We also want to provide an opportunity to develop one of the most important life skills - that being speaking in front of others (and for some, growing more confidence in English!).

This first module in July is a pilot project - while we believe it will be worth much more than Rm 15 per session, that takes the pressure off of us and ensures you get far more than your money's worth! Douglas and Laura are also experienced teachers while Berney has a long history of working with youth. Derrick has managed to survive leading the effort as we have had a lot of fun (too much?) putting it together!