By: Cebokazi Duze
From 6-7 July 2024, Rhodes University hosted the inaugural Young Leaders Bootcamp, a transformative engagement that sought to empower the next generation of leaders. This two-day programme brought together Makhanda High School student leaders and the Rhodes University Student Representative Council (SRC) to participate in a programme designed to reflect on ethical leadership and community engagement.
The Bootcamp was organised by the Allan Gray Centre for Leadership Ethics (AGCLE) in collaboration with the Makhanda Circle of Unity (MCoU). The programme aimed to provide a platform for young leaders to reflect on the role of youth leadership in their communities and to develop critical reflective skills necessary for ethical and impactful leadership. Part of the strategies to enable this included allowing the participants to engage with role models grounded in their context.
Keynote speakers for the event included esteemed figures such as Allan Magubane, an Old Rhodian and the Former Deputy Headmaster for Transformation & Community Engagement at St John’s College; Dr Ashley Westaway and Ms Babsy Makombe from GADRA Education; Ms Thandie Nqowana from the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) office, and Professor Sizwe Mabizela Participating panellists and speakers shared insights on community-based leadership informed by their personal experiences valuable guidance to the young attendees.
The Director for Student Services and Development, Dr Pakiso Tondi, opened the programmed and committed to supporting efforts to ensure that the Bootcamp is an annual programme held for young leaders in Makhanda’s schools. A workshop by Dr Lindsay Kelland and Professor Pedro Tabensky from the AGCLE followed this. The workshop dealt with the concept of personal leadership, with the core message being that to lead is to be led, and to be led requires us to develop a critical awareness of ourselves and the reality around us.
The keynote address by Mr Allan Magubane grappled with using failure as a developmental opportunity for leadership development. The talk titled “Reflections on personal leadership: Failing Forward” focused on how failure can be used as a learning tool to develop one’s humility and the power of compassion and kindness to help one become a better person from one’s failures. This talk resonated deeply with the participants, who kept repeating a powerful quote from Mr Magubane’s talk: “Do not think less of yourself; think of yourself less.”
Day two of the programme began with an address by Prof Sizwe Mabizela, who reminded participants that leadership is nuanced, complex and requires constant reflection. Prof Mabizela affirmed the power of servant leadership and the necessity of treating leadership roles with integrity and respect. He concluded by encouraging participants to protect their values in all the spaces they occupy and stand firm against wrongdoing, no matter how big or small.
Prof Mabizela’s address was followed by a panel discussion with Ms Babsy Makombe, Dr Ashley Westaway, and Ms Thandiswa Nqowana that sought to expose the participants to the city-wide efforts to build the education sector of Makhanda, following the Makhanda Education Summit held earlier this year. In doing so, the panellists sought to encourage the participating students to form part of the broader movement to position the education sector of Makhanda as one of the leading education sectors in the country.
The bootcamp concluded with a participant-led panel, where they reflected on what connected with them the most during the programme; what they committed to returning to their respective schools, and their commitment to being agents of change in their schools and communities.
Several participants remarked that their perception of leadership has since changed after attending the bootcamp, and particularly appreciated being able to interact with student leaders from other schools. The bootcamp not only showed the value in creating reflective spaces for young leaders but demonstrated the continued commitment of Rhodes University to contribute to the development of Makhanda in as many ways as possible and affirmed for its participants the slogan of the University, a place where leaders learn.
