Developing student leadership through service-learning

Authors

Shane D. Lavery, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow

Publication Details

Lavery, S. D. (2008). Developing student leadership through service-learning. Journal of Catholic School Studies, 80 (2), 5-12.

Abstract

Adolescents possess enormous potential as leaders. They have the capacity to become leaders in the workplace, in their families, in the community, and in government.

Increasingly, schools have taken on the important responsibility of the developing leadership in young people. Schools are, what van Linden and Fertman call, “hotbeds of leadership development” (1998, p. 224). For instance, Catholic schools have a commendable reputation for preparing, promoting, developing and nurturing elected student leaders. Fair and just elections, leadership camps, leadership reflection days, mixed school leadership programs, and leadership seminars, all form valid and valuable ways of preparing students for the challenges, responsibilities and joys of leadership (Lavery, 2002).

This article examines two issues: first, it presents an understanding of service as a feasible model of leadership. Second, it proposes an experiential learning style, that of service-learning, as an appropriate method of preparing students for leadership.

Keywords

Peer-reviewed, community leadership, social justice