About ASCEND Leadership
SWLSB student leaders set out on a new trajectory that transforms the way that young people think, act and engage with the world around them.
LEARN - WORK - GROW
Meet the next generation of leaders - YouTube (360p).mp4VISION and MISSION; WHAT, WHO, HOW, WHY
Leadership programs are varied and unique at each Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board (SWLSB) school serving over 12 000 students.
Vision: Meaningful student leadership development opportunities strengthen competencies and foster positive well-being, social awareness, resiliency, responsibility and long term success.
Mission: ASCEND Leadership is a service of SWLSB Personal Development Animators to unite and support student leadership development in schools, within our school board.
ASL is an umbrella to serve school programs by helping staff to lead initiatives that help young people develop into engaged and authentic leaders. We work with schools to provide the tools, training and challenging experiences necessary to foster continuous success in the classroom and beyond as students construct healthy lives and relationships.
WHAT
ASCEND Leadership (ASL) provides a link to enhance the progression of learning with school student leadership programs by supporting the school, teacher, staff member and students. Student leaders work on school councils, clubs, and lead on the playground, through STEM partnerships, on the stage, and on sports teams.
WHO
ASCEND Leadership is an umbrella to unite school programs and to differentiate between a school program and a board support for student leadership development. ASL is facilitated by SWLSB Spiritual Care, Guidance, and Community Involvement Animators as a part of the Pedagogical Services Department.
HOW
We support and deliver both elementary and high school (secondary) components designed to deepen the educational experience and enhance the personal development and agency of the student and school community.
WHY
Since 2008, we have been helping students develop the competency and agency to lead as they take action to have a positive impact in their communities. Ascend Leadership started when we lost alumnus Sgt. Chris Karigiannis in Afghanistan in 2007. When we planted a maple tree in front of his high school in remembrance, our students asked us; "why do we remember the fallen but not people serving in our communities everday?". We worked to answered this question in a meaningful way and decided to reach out and adopt his friends, family, and regiment. Our partnership with 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was born.
ASL PILLARS: OBJECTIVES & BENEFITS
When schools are united and encourage students to develop dynamic roles as engaged stakeholders within their community the impact reaches beyond the classroom to school life, and agency to fitness for postsecondary and long term success.
SCHOOL COMMUNITY
Student Success
Deepen Competency Understanding, Development and Expression, Cross-Curricular Opportunities, Student Efficacy, Personal Agency, Interpersonal Skills, Emotional Intelligence
School Climate
Bully, Drug, and Violence Prevention and Intervention, Foster Positive Relationships, School Efficacy, Truancy, Engagement
Community Growth & Citizenship
Foster School Community Care, Growth and Unity, Foster Community With Local and International NGOs and Community Organizations, Active Volunteerism
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Academic Success
Competency Development Through Practical Application, Communication Skills, Time Management, Diverse Cross Curricular Experiences, Transform Failures, Building A Success Portfolio
Personal Agency
Autonomy, Resiliency, Well-Being, Self-Esteem, Purpose, Mindfulness, System Thinking, Critical Thinking, Resolve, Healthy Habits, Emotional Intelligence
Interpersonal
Teamwork, Community Involvement, Teambuilding, Conflict Resolution, Restorative Practices, Collaboration, Citizenship, Situation Awareness
THE JOURNEY
We are moving young people from being a spectator, to becoming a participant, and into a stakeholder through their learning environment.
ENGAGE, EQUIP, CHALLENGE, GROW & GIVE.
Every student has unique abilities, but what they sometimes lack are meaningful opportunities to develop the agency to use those abilities in proactive ways that benefit them and their world.
Student Leadership helps students to explore their interests, talents and pursue their passions while serving a need in their community.
Linking the learning in the classroom to real world experiences, students begin to gain confidence, develop empathy, foster critical thinking, enhance their collaboration skills and nurture a healthy well-being while they progressively acquire and develop the tools necessary to lead.
Student Leadership is a transformative, multi year training process that equips young people with the skills required by tomorrow's CEOs and community leaders as they take on meaningful leadership responsibilities now.
Terry Fox bike 2018.mp4THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS DEVELOP THE ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP AND FOLLOWERSHIP SKILLS FOR SUCCESS IN LIFE AND WITH A TEAM.
ASCEND Leaders understand how diverse teams work together to solve complex problems. Team building and effective teamwork is an art form that students learn through dynamic roles and responsibilities. Students are immersed in team building, team management, system thinking, developing effective communication skills, building trust, establishing and sustaining momentum, model behaviour, and they evaluate results to enhance collaboration and practices for future efforts.
Students are given meaningful roles to effect real change in our communities through the development and practice of these leadership skills.
Mens Sana In Corpore Sano Ut Prosim Aliis
A healthy mind in a healthy body in service to others.
ASCEND Leadership supports the creation of a broad set of goals and different dimensions of learning to overlap, interconnect, and become mutually reinforcing. Transform academic competencies by integrating them into the overall student experience through engaged responsibility and roles for shared outcomes that are visible, measurable, and rewarding.
Mind - We know that words without actions are meaningless.
Starting in grade 5, students begin to learn to lead. Students progress as leaders by understanding the exchange between followers and leaders. Over the years, each student develop agency while they explore their talents and interests through different opportunities. Student leaders begin to interact with their world as they develop roles and responsibilities in it with local, national, and global community initiatives.
Body - We know that actions without understanding are empty.
Moving from intention to purposeful actions draws students and adults together. Through intentional, planned, and purposeful action and team building, leaders learn to work to think broadly, use tools strategically, and to act decisively.
Soul - We know that inaction is impossible.
Everyone has a role. Everyone has opportunity. Everyone has ability. Everyone has a place. Students are encouraged to use the skills that they are learning in the classroom to move from bystander, to active participant, to dynamic leader in the pursuit of excellence as we seek a better world. This is leadership in service to the team and the wider world.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ASCEND LEADERSHIP
"What leadership meant and still means to me now is the fire to not only change yourself but to change those around you and to affect them in a way that will be with them forever. To be an example of respect, of love and of true leadership and that is not something that can be bought and is truly priceless."
Jessica Williams - 2013 Graduate