For Builders Club officers, the development of leadership skills can be a matter of embracing the unknown, taking a risk and stepping up. Here are some strategies you can use to empower them:
- Build a positive relationship. Create an environment where club officers feel comfortable being themselves. This includes incorporating a growth mindset that helps officers see opportunities to learn and to grow — even when things don’t go as planned. A positive relationship helps them relax, letting their true personalities shine through. Watch Edutopia’s video Letting Young People Lead with Their True Identity to learn more.
- Help them bond through education. Use the Builders Club Member and Officer Toolkit as a guide for teaching officer responsibilities. Understanding their roles helps them learn what is expected of them and how to best support each other. Training is also a perfect time to introduce icebreaker and teambuilding activities that allow officers to bond and learn about their strengths.
- Learn what service interests them. Conduct a community asset and need mapping with the Builders Club Service Toolkit to find out how the club can help. Review service ideas and have officers identify their favorites. Encourage them to lead the service project that most interests them.
- Energize the start of club meetings. Set aside time to begin with a fun icebreaker or teambuilding activity — and ask officers to lead it. Rotate this leadership role so that each club officer gets a turn. The more they do this, the more comfortable they’ll feel leading group activities.
- Look beyond club activities and events. Develop confidence by encouraging officers to be leaders in different settings — for example, by serving their families, friends, neighbors and other groups. If your club tracks service hours, provide service credit for what officers do away from the club.
- Open the officer opportunity to more members. Clubs can take a creative approach to the officer structure to allow more youth to engage as club officers. For instance, some clubs elect officers for half the year or even monthly.