On The Ground - Jan/Feb 2023
Club of Leaders (CoL)
This year began with an evaluation of the CoL by teachers and community members. A teacher, Mr Magellan, at Hebrone school summarized the effects of the CoL on his students, “The students have become able to express themselves in front of people. In my class, there is a difference between those who come to the club and those who do not.” The CoL model has impacted the way teachers interact with the students in their classroom as well. “Before the club I did not observe my students well. I didn't even know their names. Now I talk with all the students, even those who do not have the will to speak, I get them to talk, I animate them and I discover the strengths and weaknesses they have easily. I support them and correct them with love. I accept all their answers and ideas, I encourage courageous students to speak and I guide them to acquire knowledge.”
The students participated in their first observation walk in Hebrone where they looked for assets and challenges within the community. After debriefing from the observation walk, the students worked together to create a driving question that will be the focus of their research and community service projects. In the upcoming months, the CoL members and adults will focus on the following question, "How can we, the members of the Hebrone Club of Leaders (students, parents and supervisors), help the members of the Hebrone community to make our environment sanitized, clean, and healthy?” The students and adults at the CoL created a list of questions they will use in the coming months when they go out into the community of Hebrone to collect data on hygiene practices within the families and community at large.
Each few months, the CoL student committees (planning, maintenance, ethics, and monitoring and awareness) will rotate. This rotation affords the students the opportunity to try different committees and roles within the club. The student led committees allow the children to be responsible for and involved in all the aspects of the club.
