This academic year, Central Foundation has partnered with IntoUniversity to deliver their Secondary FOCUS programme. IntoUniversity works in partnership with local schools and colleges in England and Scotland, aiming to inspire and support young people to realise their full potential. The Secondary FOCUS programme consists of a series of workshops which encourage students to think about their future options, including trips to universities and corporate partners.
Part of this programme is their Leadership in FOCUS series, which is a 2-3 day programme focusing on the development of leadership skills whilst raising self-esteem, aspiration and motivation. Across the three days, students reflected on their leadership style, acknowledging their strengths and practicing positive self-talk.
Through a range of activities, students were encouraged in self-reflection, communicating effectively with others and team building. At the end of the three days, students were set a challenge where they put their leadership and communication skills to practice by working as a team to take part in a simulation called Newsflash. The aim was to raise the most amount of money for a news studio for their team, putting together a comprehensive business plan, developing advertising partnerships and finally presenting a short news segment to their peers.
The students showed impressive team work using each other’s strengths to win the challenge.
