A group of Vanier Collegiate students have once again stepped up to the plate this year to take on leadership positions for the fall, and they were the lucky crew to test run a new type of leadership development weekend put together by Vanier staff.
Rather than the usual activities and training being hosted at the high school, these students headed out to Buffalo Pound for a two-day leadership retreat, titled Camp Valor.
The retreat took them through a number of different challenges, meant to develop skills like team building, problem-solving, and communication. It also had them bonding as a team, and stepping outside the comfort of their school.
Leanne Meili, academic advisor and one of the organizing staff, was excited to give the new format a try. She wasn’t disappointed with the results.
“We're really proud of the two days because it was something that we're hoping to be able to do for a number of years,” said Meili. “There’s so much value in taking them out of the school and out of their comfort zone, they learn so much.”
The purpose of the training was to prepare them to host the annual Valhalla event in September, which the students have been planning themselves since March.
Valhalla is a fun weekend welcome to incoming Grade 9 students to Vanier before classes start, and is organized and run by a group of the Grade 12 students.
Abby Dueck, Sydney Wells, and Kyle Gotana — three students who went to Camp Valor — are excited to be leaders at Valhalla 2019 and felt that the camping retreat was a great experience.
The toughest and most frustrating, according to Dueck and Wells, was the helium stick challenge, which required a lot of communication and teamwork to get through. (supplied)“I got to meet new people, that I'd never really talked to or whatever,” agreed Gotana. “Above all, it's going to be easier for Valhalla, working with other people.”
Dueck agreed and added that it was a chance to try out their problem-solving skills as a team for Valhalla in the fall, which is something that she really wanted to be a part of as a senior.
“What I liked about [Valhalla] most was that it connected the Grade 12s with the Grade 9s,” said Dueck. “I thought it'd be a really good idea for me, as a Grade 12, to get involved and show the ropes to a few grade nines.”
Meili sees the camping trip as becoming their annual leadership event, as she and the other staff there saw the students really grow into their skills, even if they didn’t realize it themselves.
“They were all working on these skills, but it wasn't kind of thrown down their throat,” said Meili. “It's really nice to see that growth in them.”
“That's the key, is empowering these young people because they're going to go out into the world and do their thing, and if we can provide them with some skills to do so, that's the goal,” added Meili.
