MCPS Student Congress

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MCPS Student Congress
Everybody can be great because everybody can
serve. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Student Congress Purpose

• Membership in Student Congress will provide
  students with the opportunity to develop
• Self awareness of personal skills and strengths.
• An appreciation of the service of others.
• An appreciation for a variety of leadership
  skills.
• The ability to apply personal skills and
  strengths in service to the community.
• A desire to serve.

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The Most Important Things

• In Iroquois society, leaders are encouraged to
  remember seven generations in the past and
  consider seven generations in the future when
  making decisions that affect people.
• - Wilma P. Mankiller, former principal Chief,
  Cherokee Nation of Okalahoma
• Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he
  is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will
  become what he should be.
• - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet and essayist

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Power Play

• The most common way people give up their power
  is by thinking they dont have any. -Alice
  Walker, American Author
• The measure of a man is what he does with
  power. Plato, ancient Greek philosopher

33, 34
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Types of Power

• Reward Power
• Referent Power
• Legitimate Power
• Information Power
• Expert Power
• Connection Power
• Coercive Power

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Leaders in Our Lives

• The most dangerous leadership myth is that
  leaders are born - that there is a genetic factor
  to leadership. This myth asserts that people
  simply either have certain charismatic qualities
  or not. Thats nonsense in fact, the opposite
  is true. Leaders are made rather than born.
• Warren G. Bennis, PhD. And author of more than
  25 books on leadership

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Model Leaders

• Do the right thing.
• Have a sense of direction.
• Respect power.
• Think creatively.
• Embrace differences.
• Act with passion.
• Manage unexpected situations.
• Model humility.

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Leadership Styles

• Traditional Style
• General Approach Competitive, Well-planned.
• Group Organization Assigns roles, maintains
  power.
• Expectations Leader may sacrifice quality to be
  1.
• Power Is directive.
• Relationships Relationships are a means to an
  end. Does not socialize with group/team.
• Communication Is unemotional, reserved.
• Team Participation Limits participation.
• Problem-Solving Is rational, analytical,
  data-driven, willing to take risks.
• Conflict Management Competitive Avoids conflict
  in hopes it will go away.
• Pitching In Views helping out as damaging to
  leader image.

• Modern Style
• General Approach Teamwork oriented, shares
  responsibility.
• Group Organization Shares power.
• Expectations Strives for quality, not interested
  in comparison.
• Power Is collaborative.
• Relationships Views relationships as important.
  Socializes with team.
• Communication Uses enthusiasm to inspire.
• Team Participation Encourages full
  participation.
• Problem-Solving Is creative and innovative,
  doesnt require data, trusts intuition.
• Conflict Management Works toward win-win
  situations Favors accommodation so things work
  for everyone.
• Pitching In Willing to help out in any
  situation.

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What you can control
What you can't control
Send Messages
Receive Messages
Receive Messages
Send Messages
Communication
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What You Can Control

• Sending
• Hold a relaxed posture.
• Control your voice.
• Use gestures that match the message.
• Make eye contact to get attention and hold
  interest.
• Control facial expressions.
• Make your appearance part of your message.

• Receiving
• Focus on what is being said, not on what you want
  to say back.
• Use attentive body posture.
• Make eye contact to show you are listening.
• Ask questions for clarification.
• Repeat what you understood the other person to
  have said to be sure you understood.

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Determining Needs in the School and the Community

• Divide the flip chart into 4 equal sections.
• Label the sections.
• School Assets, Community Assets, School Needs,
  Community Needs.
• Discuss and record these aspects of your
  community.
• Keep this information to help you in the next
  activities.

School Assets
Community Assets
School Needs
Community Needs
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Deciding What Can You Do

• With the consensus of the group, list 2 service
  projects that your group might undertake to meet
  the needs of your school or community.
• Number them 1 and 2.
• Use the flip chart to make a column for each
  project.
• Record your answers to the following questions
  about each project.

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Compare Possibilities Questions to Answer

• What do we want to accomplish? Look for
  specifics and make your goals quantifiable, if
  possible. For example, By the end of the day we
  will have taught 20 elementary school children
  how to play the math game that we designed for
  them.
• What do we want to learn from this experience?
• How will this activity help others?
• How much will it cost? Where will we get
  funding?
• Will this be a one day event or the beginning of
  an on-going effort? If it is a one-day event, how
  can it have a long-term impact?
• Do the target organization or beneficiaries
  really need the proposed project? Have they been
  contacted?
• How can we document the project for presentation
  to the Student Congress and guests on April 28th?

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Define THE Project Create a chart of this slide
to share with the whole Student Congress.

• Project Goal
• What we will learn
• Date/dates of project
• Place

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Outline Tasks and Timelines

• Tasks?

• Whos responsible?

• Timeframe?

Use the project planning worksheet that follows
to outline tasks, responsibilities, and
deadlines. Organization, commitment, and
communication are key to the success of any
project. Put the plan on paper and periodically
check on progress.
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Sample Task Assignment Chart
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Reflect and Celebrate

• April 21, 2009
• What kind of artifacts do we want to collect and
  display at the celebration?
• Who is responsible for collecting artifacts?
• Who is responsible for creating the display?
• What do we need to create our display?

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RESOURCES

• MacGregor, Mariam G., M.S. Everyday Leadership.
  Minneapolis, MN Free Spirit Publishing, 2007.
  www.freespirit.com (Content of slides 2, 3, 4, 5,
  6, 7, 8,10).
• Youth Service America (www.ysa.org)
• Project ideas and funding resources
• Semester of Service Strategy Guide, Curriculum
  Guide, and Planning Toolkit
• National Youth Leadership Counsel (www.nylc.org)
• Curriculum Guide, and Planning Toolkit
• National Association of Secondary School
  Principals NASSP (www.principals.org)
• Reach, Teach, and Engage with Service Learning by
  Kathryn Berger Kaye
• Corporation for National and Community Service
  (www.mlkday.gov)
• Martin Luther Kind Day of Service-Learning
  Curriculum and Toolkit