School for Student Leadership

5 of us from the year 9 cohort have been given the opportunity to participate in the School for Student Leadership, Snowy River campus. It is a brilliant opportunity which cannot be taken for granted and an experience that we would recommend anyone to apply for. 

Our highlights so far

Our highlights from the SSL so far would be:

• Having fun with the many new people we have met and building our social skills with peers that are from different areas of Victoria. 
• Having the freedom to explore outside of our comfort zones and “being comfortable being uncomfortable”.
• Learning new skills and doing different activities that we wouldn’t normally have like surfing, fishing, canoeing, hiking, expeditions etc. As well as having classes that teach us how to develop the 9 learning concepts of SSL: Learning strategies, Emotional management, Resilience, Identity, Empathy, Respectful relationships, Collaboration, Health and wellbeing, and Environments. 

Why we came to the School for Student Leadership (SSL) Snowy River campus? 

There was a variety of reason on why we came to the School for Student Leadership. We wanted to grow many skills which could help us out later in life. Confidence/ being able to public speak better is a big part of our reasoning for coming here. We all felt that we wanted to gain independence to help us out every day. Growing our social skills and gaining a growth mindset would help us to talk to new people and become more self-determined speakers when it comes to public speaking. Leadership skills is also something that is very important to us because we wanted to learn how to be a better leader and gain the ability to guide a group effectively. We all wanted to have a new experience which would push us out of our normal environments that we are used to in the suburbs and a break from our everyday routines. We strived for an experience that would stay with us for a very long time. We all admit that we have spent a bit too much time surrounded by technology, and we thought that this could be a great time to have a break from it all. This experience would give us a chance to appreciate nature and be outside instead of always being inside. 

How is the school for Student Leadership different from normal school? 

There are many of differences between SSL and any Victorian state school. The main difference, which is very noticeable, is we don’t do any normal classes such as Math, English or science. Instead of these “boring” subjects, we learn things that will guide us through the challenges of life. Things like Collaboration, Empathy, Respectful relationships, and Environment. These classes are very different from normal school. One day you could be doing theory for the whole day and the next day you could being doing bridge building or surfing.

Duties are chores around the campus that all students must do and is something most students never do when at home. We are expected to have time management and be organized enough to fit time for our duties. Some of these duties which are done every day is: Dinner, Breakfast and Lunch pack up and set up, Cleaning crew and bathrooms. These are all duties that are done at different times of the day and must be complete for the community to function properly. 

In the SSL there is a big emphasis on independence and not relying on someone all the time. Some of the tasks that have a big emphasis on independence are things like free time for a few hours but also having the responsibility to get to class on time, doing our washing when its needed and not expecting someone else to wash it for you and cleaning up after yourself and others. 

Our community Learning Project

At the School for Student Leadership, we must contribute a project that will help our community at Taylors Lakes. Our community Learning Project is about Mental health, the protection of our mental health and information that is open to all students. Our idea is to make a club that will be placed somewhere in the school campus which will become a safe place where you can relax and share problems or questions if you’d wish too. This club will include a variety of activities such as mindfulness, yoga, meditation, basket weaving or just an area to relax. Our plan is to make a garden filled with native plants and plants of student suggestions.