Partners
My name is Ashley Luke and I am a youth development
worker at the TCDSB partnering agency, Malvern Family
Resource Centre. Over the past three summers I’ve been
the leadership coordinator for FOY. This year, the
leadership group had diverse opportunities to learn the
skillsets of an effective leader through workshops,
discussions, and guest speakers like Toronto Public
Health. The young ladies in Leadership had the chance to
learn alternative sports like soccer and
skateboarding/BMX, as well as engage in a community
development initiative presented by Carnival Redemption
Mas Band by participating in the creation of their own
Kiddies Carnival Costumes for the parade hosted in the
Malvern Community. By the 3rd week, the participants
implemented the skills learned through planning an event, like the Annual Footsteps Talent Show.
The leadership curriculum consisted of building their capacity around what a leader looks like and the positive characteristics a leader possess. This included various topics like: different leadership styles and the pros and cons to each style, leadership assessments to discover which style they possess, understanding the difference between being bossy and being a leader, understanding our power as a leader and how to build trust with others, gender differences in leadership, decision making, teamwork, attitude, integrity, and understanding what motivates them. Journaling was a large component of the curriculum, allowing the girls to reflect on topics discussed and also to have something to take away. Throughout the 6 weeks were able to start and complete countless art projects like creating a leadership banner, decorating our room, magazine collages, and so much more!
The counsellors and I received positive feedback from our participants who have attended camp over the past 6 years in regards to the improvements this area of the camp has made, especially with the exposure to different activities and experiences. The campers can’t wait for next year and neither can I!