Community Leadership
Leadership is often misconceived: the word evokes imagery of one person standing alone above the rest. To lead is not to control or command, but to provide direct or indirect guidance, focus, and support to others. This could be demonstrated in many forms: being an advocate, a visionary, a pacesetter. Very few people wake up one morning and decide to be a leader, myself included: my journey began with the decision to get involved.
When I was fourteen, I became interested in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DOE) because my older brother was a participant. I could never have imagined the impact it would have on me. The DOE is a global community that I am incredibly proud to be a part of because it helps youth to reach their full potential. The DOE is a personal achievement program for youth. It challenges youth to learn a new skill, get involved in community service, be physically active, and experience the natural world. I earned the position of Duke Delegate, being part of a national group of 10 who have come together to promote the DOE, mentor and inspire other participants and to inform the community as a whole exactly what DOE is and how it can change your life. The most meaningful aspect of being a Duke Delegate is that I can interact in school settings, leadership conferences, and just one on one to share the impact the award has had on me.
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I began at the SPCA with simple tasks, such as walking dogs and caring for cats. Gradually, though, I began to realise that what I was doing really mattered: I was supporting a very impactful organisation and caring for the most vulnerable beings in our community. Since then, I have expanded my efforts to multiple community initiatives, weaving myself further into the framework of my