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HAVERGAL COLLEGE
A
sk any Havergal alumna about her favourite memories from
school and, inevitably, she will mention something about
the trips she took. Excursions are an exciting part of a Havergal
education because there is nothing quite like opening a door to the
unknown and experiencing a new adventure with your peers and
teachers. But what can be overshadowed by the thrill of exploring
new worlds off campus is the role that excursions play in developing
leadership capacity.
Excursions at Havergal are deliberately planned along a continuum
from simpler, fairly structured experiences in the Junior School
to more complex and open-ended international adventures in the
Upper School. When we develop the slate of excursions we provide,
we work with the faculty to address a question that lies at the heart
of our leadership program: what is the relationship between the
self-efficacy and global capability we develop in our students and
leadership qualities?
Helping students to make a difference and shape the world in which
they want to live requires a clear definition of leadership, something
that is notoriously difficult to achieve. There are as many different
views on leadership as there are leaders, which make conceptions of
leadership highly value-laden. Add in that just about anyone can be a
leader in some way, and you run the risk of settling on a definition of
leadership that is everything and nothing at the same time.
To resolve this ambiguity, we often focus on a simple reality about
leadership: it takes place within or on behalf of a group. The student
practising her bassoon every night until she earns a place in the
orchestra is not a leader during her individual pursuit of excellence,
but she may become one if she leads by example and inspires others
around her to become better. When two or more people come
together with a shared purpose, there is a need for individuals to
play leadership roles, whether to exert influence, direct the group’s
decisions or accomplish a goal.
There are hundreds of ways that any girl can lead by influencing,
guiding or performing within a group. She might share an idea,
change someone’s mind or support a peer’s initiative. It would
be false to think that a supporting role is never a leading role:
sometimes it’s that second or third voice that tips the balance toward
a new enterprise. And sometimes that second or third voice resounds
because it belongs to a quiet girl who rarely speaks up and who,
therefore, commands attention when she does.
Any voice can become the voice of a leader. To be effective, our
leadership program has to offer diverse experiences that foster
diverse approaches—from the up-front leader on the vanguard to
the student who guides a group by expressing her values clearly and
consistently. We know that leadership develops rapidly in situations
where students take mitigated risks, head into the unknown and
forge new ground. Any time our girls are pushing boundaries and
testing their ability to cope with new circumstances—whether
on a day trip in Grade 3 or during weeks away on an Upper
School student exchange to another country—they are given the
opportunity to expand and practise new languages.
Unscripted Moments
The role of excursions in leadership development
By Leslie Anne Dexter, Head of Junior School, and Michael Simmonds, Head of Upper School
“
“
You gain strength, courage
and confidence by every
experience in which you
really stop to look fear in the
face. You must do the thing
you think you cannot do.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Heads’ Message