My time as a Leadership Experience and Adventure Program (LEAP) facilitator has given me a lot of experience in organizing information through program delivery. The LEAP program is a two week intensive for youth to experience and gain confidence in their leadership skills. The program is strategic in the how the content is rolled out. My role as a facilitator is to develop a two-week course with daily programming from 7am- 11pm. I create the schedule (1.2) for the duration of the course, the content, and organize supplemental activities, speakers and presentations as the program allows.
I facilitate this program with another leader. We utilize google drive to share all of our information. I created the schedule in an excel document and then uploaded it to the drive. This is very useful as we can collaborate on the schedule in real time during our phone meetings. There are many factors to consider when developing the schedule. LEAP is a part of the broader Sorrento Centre community. Meals, worship, campfire, variety night, the dance and public lectures are all set events that we attend. I add the set activities into the schedule first. We go on a camping trip every year. This is also added to the schedule right away. Many of the youth haven’t met each other prior to LEAP. At the beginning of the program I make sure to schedule a lot of time for ice breakers and games. The youth are given more opportunity to share as we get deeper into our programming and they start to feel comfortable with each other.
The first year I lead LEAP it was majorly restructured. There wasn’t a lot of information available from the previous years. My co-facilitator and I lived in different provinces and needed a way to communicate and share information with each other. Enter Google Drive. We added the previous year’s report to the drive and used that as a template to create a new program. We had phone meetings every week to update the schedule and review content that we wanted to add. This worked well and has been the process moving forward. This has made the planning process much more efficient. Program content is saved in the google drive by topic and can be accessed by my co-facilitator, myself and the Sorrento Centre’s executive director. The second and third year leading LEAP has been easier to organize as there are now templates to pull from for the content I lead. This includes templates for communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, group facilitation and leadership workshops. evaluations, reports, packing lists, shopping lists, daily schedules and certificates for the LEAP graduates are also saved.
The participant feedback was much like my own- the content was boring and it was difficult to stay awake during some of the workshops. Participants found the delivery of information quite dry. It took a lot of reflection to review what I really wanted the youth to learn from their experience and how that would be delivered. In the past, program content was primarily delivered much like in a classroom. The participants were given handouts and workbooks and the facilitators would discuss each topic for up to two hours at a time. All of the youth are provided a copy of all the information we learn.
When I started planning LEAP for the first time I knew I wanted the program to be more interactive. I attended the Shaping the Future Conference hosted by Ever Active schools while I worked for The Centre for Learning@HOME. One of the workshops I attended discussed the importance of learning zones. I used this concept to create the program space for LEAP. The space was now divided into two areas: A work space with a large table and chairs for each participant sit at, and a more relaxed collaborating space with camp chairs, arm chairs, blankets and pillows set up in a round circle. The youth are empowered to decide how they think they will learn each session the best.
The process of developing is very intentional. At the beginning of the program many of the youth don’t know each other. A large component of LEAP is building community. Throughout the two weeks the youth really get to know each other. As they begin to feel more comfortable in their environment they are more confident and empowered to share their leadership skills with the rest of the group.
Therefore, the beginning of the program is designed to be very collaborative with the larger group. We play a lot of ice breakers and “get to know you” games. The beginning of the program is also very content dense. We review the objectives of the program, living in community and expectations. We also create a “community covenant” where the youth get the opportunity to create the initiatives and goals they would like to accomplish together. Each day we begin with time to debrief the day before and journal. This gives the youth time to process the day before, ask questions and share anything else on their minds.
The further we get into the program, the more opportunities the youth have to lead on their own. Near the end of the first week and during the second week the youth are asked to lead the group in an activity. This is referred to as the “LEAP-in” on the schedule. By this time in the program the youth have established connections with each other have learned the skills to be successful and had time to practice these skills throughout their workshops. During the second week, they also have the opportunity to gain work experience in some of the departments on the site. This includes spending time in the Children and Youth Program, farm and grounds, the kitchen or housekeeping. The youth have the opportunity to take on a leadership role within these departments by leading a game, prepping a meal for other guests or co-leading a farm tour while being supported by the summer youth staff in each department.
At the end of the program the youth are asked to evaluate each component of the program. Each component written on a large piece of paper. The paper is then spread around the room. The youth are given time to write feedback for each component anonymously. After they have had the opportunity to submit their feedback, we review it as a team. The youth are then empowered to elaborate on their feedback or add more as it is discussed. This feedback is then included in the annual program report.
At the end of the program I develop a report to send to the executive director of the Sorrento Centre to review. The report (8.2) is used to provide an overview of the program, facilitator and participant feedback. The report is an integral part of the program as the facilitators can change each year and need to know what the program is, what it entails and how it can continue to new heights. The report includes a review on every component of the program. The report is organized by the various components of LEAP. It includes note and feedback regarding accommodations, workshop space, meals, workshops, ETC.