Promoting student leadership

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Spring 2001

How do you teach leadership to students? Send them to a National Leadership Camp where they can learn through experience, according to the National Association of Secondary School Principals' (NASSP's) Department of Student Activities.

"Skills and Thrills," the 2001 National Leadership Camps, are six days of experiential leadership courses, during July and August, for middle and high school student leaders and middle-level advisers. At the camps, students learn, practice, and apply fundamental leadership skills through hands-on training that includes goal setting, organization, group process, conflict resolution, pluralism, evaluation, communication, and self-awareness.

If students think such courses sound like too much work during the summer, they might be interested to know that the camps are located in places such as Lake Tahoe, a Maine seaside village, the Black Hills, and the Rocky Mountains. In addition to training, students will have free time to hike, swim, boat, or just relax.

The registration deadline for Skills and Thrills is 18 May, but camps are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For tuition rates and more information, visit the Web site of NASSP's Department of Student Activities at dsa.principals.org, call (703) 8607322 or 7329, or write to NASSP/ National Leadership Camp, PO Box 3250, Reston, VA 20195-1250.