Class
Article
Graduation Year
2020
College
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Department
Family, Consumer, and Human Development Department
Faculty Mentor
Troy Beckert
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Civic engagement is important to the vitality of a nation and to the individual development of its members. Civic engagement and volunteerism in adolescence are related to several positive outcomes. While many young people are civically engaged and volunteer, those who create opportunities for civic engagement are practicing leadership. The Social Change Model (SCM) for leadership suggests that leaders are individuals who use personal passions, interpersonal skills, and their sense of citizenship to create positive social change. The purpose of this research was to elucidate the process whereby a young person emerges as a leader by moving from participating in social change to creating it. To accomplish this purpose, we interviewed five late adolescents who had demonstrated leadership through creating social change. Several themes emerged from these interviews. First, prior to their emergence as leaders these youths spoke about involvement in a range of extracurricular activities generally and specifically in volunteerism. Additionally, their volunteer work was rooted in passions that these youths had, often coming from a deep personal experience. Second, there were several internal and external assets that these youths described as facilitating their emergence as leaders. These youth spoke about feelings of confidence that they could make a difference as well as skills that they learned through participation in leadership education programs. Externally, they reported direct support from mentors and peers as well as indirect support from being a part of a community of other motivated and engaged peers. Third, these youths reported obstacles they had to overcome to complete their work including a lack of resources and discouragement as difficulties arose. Finally, beyond the idea that creating a service opportunity for others constitutes leadership, these youths demonstrated ownership over what they created as well as motivation to give to those coming after them.
Location
Room 204
Start Date
4-13-2017 10:30 AM
End Date
4-13-2017 11:45 AM
Leadership Emergence Through Volunteerism: A Case Study of Late Adolescent Exemplars
Room 204
Civic engagement is important to the vitality of a nation and to the individual development of its members. Civic engagement and volunteerism in adolescence are related to several positive outcomes. While many young people are civically engaged and volunteer, those who create opportunities for civic engagement are practicing leadership. The Social Change Model (SCM) for leadership suggests that leaders are individuals who use personal passions, interpersonal skills, and their sense of citizenship to create positive social change. The purpose of this research was to elucidate the process whereby a young person emerges as a leader by moving from participating in social change to creating it. To accomplish this purpose, we interviewed five late adolescents who had demonstrated leadership through creating social change. Several themes emerged from these interviews. First, prior to their emergence as leaders these youths spoke about involvement in a range of extracurricular activities generally and specifically in volunteerism. Additionally, their volunteer work was rooted in passions that these youths had, often coming from a deep personal experience. Second, there were several internal and external assets that these youths described as facilitating their emergence as leaders. These youth spoke about feelings of confidence that they could make a difference as well as skills that they learned through participation in leadership education programs. Externally, they reported direct support from mentors and peers as well as indirect support from being a part of a community of other motivated and engaged peers. Third, these youths reported obstacles they had to overcome to complete their work including a lack of resources and discouragement as difficulties arose. Finally, beyond the idea that creating a service opportunity for others constitutes leadership, these youths demonstrated ownership over what they created as well as motivation to give to those coming after them.