HaYidion: Cover of the Nurturing Leadership issue
The David Posnack Hebrew Day School developed a unique student leadership program last year called Jewish Life-Pathing. The program identifies the spark of light within each student and assists in cultivating that spark to ensure future success as a leader. The program allows us to recognize the individual strengths of our students and assists us in directing them to the right college, leadership and community affiliations. Below is a letter from Ryan, one of our students.
“I’m always excited about a new community service project, and in my junior year, I became involved in a new program called Jewish Life-Pathing (JLP). JLP is a mentoring program that is intended to promote leadership and Judaism amongst students. It is truly a unique program because it gives older students (grades 8-11) the opportunity to teach/coach younger students (grades 1-6) in a wide range of activities in which they share a common interest. I had the privilege of being one of the three student captains that led the program from start to finish. I watched it grow from an idea to a highly successful and fulfilling mentoring program. JLP forever changed my appreciation and understanding of the term ‘leadership.’
“I’m not sure I had previously experienced the true burden of being a student leader. My captainship came with great responsibility, the need for a personable attitude, and the requirement to put forth great time and effort. I learned that there are different types of leaders, and JLP taught me about the kind of leader that I am. I consider myself a silent but strong leader, one who leads by example. I may not be the loudest or most outgoing, but I always try to take a calm and amiable approach when working with others, especially one-on-one. I feel that I can relate to different students because I do all that I can to get along with everyone I meet. I also learned that these are qualities that I can bring to a group of leaders. The other two captains and I worked extremely well together because we each brought something unique to the table. JLP was as successful as it was because of the immense participation put forth by all who were involved.
“Probably the most amazing thing about JLP was how it catered to the interest of so many different people. The coaches were able to participate in an activity they personally valued, and at the same time took on leadership roles and shared their experience with younger students. For me, the most fulfilling aspect of JLP was hearing from the students how much fun they had, and how much they learned every JLP day. Hearing this made all the late nights, all the extra meetings, and all the time and hard work worthwhile. It was the greatest feeling having inspired others to be leaders as well.
“JLP was one of the most fulfilling leadership roles I have ever held. It helped me grow to be the dedicated and hard working student that I am. I intend to be the same leader and team member in college. I can’t wait to share my experiences and start new ones in the exciting new world I’m soon to enter. Community service is something that I feel very passionate about. There are few greater joys than the one that comes with helping your fellow human beings.” ♦
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