walk the walk: planning and running a leadership conference and the positive impact on your school...
TRANSCRIPT
Walk the Walk: Planning and Running a Leadership
Conference and the Positive Impact on Your School
Presenters:
Dana Hall School - Liza Cohen, Director of Communications and Corinne Daniels, Director of Alumnae Relations
Chelmsford County High School for Girls - Katharine Adams, Year Leader Year 11 and Richard Wilkes, Asst. Head of Sixth Form
Marymount High School - Lyndsey DeMuro, Academic Advisor /Student Activities Coordinator and Sarah Jallo, Director of Admission/Director of Summer Programs
National Coalition of Girls School Annual Conference 2013
Statement of Purpose
She Sails: Inspiring Dana Women creates connections among all Dana Hall women
and provides a forum to learn from each other, share our stories, and encourage one
another to be bold and dream big.
The BasicsO Inaugural event
2012 O Second annual 2013O Students, alumnae,
parents, faculty and staff invited
O Full-day, Saturday event (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) in late April
O On campusO Free
O 450 attendees in 2012
O 570 attendees in 2013
O $20k in sponsorships in 2012
O $35k in sponsorships in 2013
Alumnae EngagementGoals: Bring alumnae back to campus; connect with alumnae beyond reunion and annual giving; leverage rich talents of alumnae.1. Focus groups2. Survey3. Planning4. Presenters
Alumnae EngagementO 28 alumnae
presenters in 2012; 44 alumnae presenters in 2013
O Classes of 1957 to 2009 represented
O Varied disciplines and experience levels
O Varied prior engagement with the school
Alumnae EngagementAlumnae Board Involvement
O Sub-committeeO Alumnae hubO Networking
breakfastO VolunteeringO Marketing
Extension of the Dana Brand
O Dana Hall stands for an unwavering commitment to developing leaderships qualities in girls
O We back that up with our rigorous curriculum, our dedicated faculty, our supportive environment AND:O Countless leadership opportunities:
Workshops, mentoring, skill-building, networking, Career Day, Girls Summer Leadership Program
She Sails: Walking the Walk in One Full Day
O Keynote speakers as role modelsO Model different leadership stylesO Professional mentoring and
guidanceO Range of opportunities O Promote ideals within internal
community (include newly accepted students)
O Generate buzz beyond the Dana campus
Event masterminds devised a theme, and planned and executed a memorable,
unique day for all attendees.
She Sails 2013
Lessons LearnedO Survey to get volunteer alumnae
presentersO Choose carefully who will work with
alumnae presentersO All things to all peopleO Know your school and community,
be yourself
WALK THE WALK
Devising and Running a
Student Leadership Conference
in Your School
NCGS Annual Conference
Boston: June 2013
Katharine Adams and Richard Wilkes
Chelmsford County High School for Girls, UK
Chelmsford County High School for Girls• Selective girls Grammar
School• Strong academic standards• Publicly funded • IB World School• Ranked 10th in UK by ‘The
Times’• Successful entrants to Oxford
and Cambridge Universities
Our school context
CCHS Past and Present
Miss Vernon HarcourtHeadmistress
Founded 1907 : 76 students 2013 : 900 students
Mrs Nicole ChapmanHeadteacher
Inspiration!• AMGS Annual
Conference October 2011
• NCGS Annual Conference Washington 2012
• WOW Conference 2012
International Influences
Conference Aims
• Promote and develop Leadership Skills• Develop the “whole student” beyond
academic results• Encourage risk taking• Promote public speaking• Promote ‘Learning through Action’
Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow
Conference Outline
• Conference breakfast• Key note speeches and panel
session• Speaker-led workshops• Conference lunch• Student-led workshops• Plenary session
Creating a professional feel to the day
Student Teams
Over 60 girls involved in teams for
• Planning• Workshops• Conference
materials • Hospitality• Catering• Administration
Decisions led by students
Speeches and Panel Session
Mitra JanesRachel ElnaughSarah Hendry
Heather Katsonga-Woodward
Speakers from all walks of life
Public Speaking Roles• Conference Chair• Introductions• Leading workshops• Vote of thanks
A chance to shine
Speaker-led Workshops
Intimate interactive sessions with small groups of students• Manifesting prosperity• Preparing for the world
of work• Leading and
influencing• Women and
leadership: Gender differences
Thought-provoking discussion
Student-led workshopsDiscussion sessions devised and run by students
• Eradicating gender inequality,
• Coping with failure• Independent travel• Cooking on a student
budget • Mental and physical
well-being
Students take command
Outcomes
• Impact on individuals – students and staff• Enhanced relationships with local schools• Increased uptake for languages• Work experience opportunities• Press interest• National charity award
Whole school “buzz”
Impact on Individuals
“I wanted to thank you for the conference and particularly for letting me run a workshop. I found it really enjoyable and I've noticed that as a result of it I've become much more confident when speaking to people, so thank you for giving me those opportunities.” Students transformed
Outcomes
• Impact on individuals – students and staff• Enhanced relationships with local schools• Increased uptake for languages• Work experience opportunities• Press interest• National charity award
Whole school “buzz”
What did Delegates Enjoy?• “The atmosphere of the whole day and speaking to such inspirational women”
• “The incredible workshops that have given me so much confidence for the future”
• “Leading my workshop and being given the opportunity to lead others”
• “Everyone being part of the making of the conference”Positive feedback
And what did they learn?
• “Don’t make set plans, dream big and go where life takes you”
• “Failure is sometimes a blessing in disguise”• “There are lots of different types of success and
perseverance is the key” • “When I left I was buzzing with energy and
possibilities for the future. I felt I could achieve anything and I hope that feeling never goes away”
Important messages
Where Next?
• October 2013 conference is in the planning! Huge enthusiasm for this year.
• Yr 12 Model United Nations Conference March 2014
• Development of Whole-school Student Leadership programme
Try it yourself!
Feedback from our Guests
“...They have come back to school full of enthusiasm and have been incredibly motivated by the experience...”
“My colleague and I spent the whole day smiling because it was just a joy to behold all of the young women conducting themselves so impeccably. “
Feedback from a School Governor
“The Inaugural conference was a great success… The girls found it exciting and thought-provoking, and it has given them the appetite to grow the skills and mindset needed for their future success, after they leave the shelter of CCHS……”
“I have seen many changes over my long association with our school……the Leadership Conference was, in my opinion, the best thing yet.”
Who Is Marymount?
9-12th grade All-girls Catholic, Independent 72 zip codes across Los Angeles 18 religions 25% receive financial assistance Our goal
The Birth of “BSBW”
What do we do well as a school? Current students: Marymount empowers
us to be confident woman leaders who care about making a difference in the world.
We want to inspire and empower middle school girls in the same way Marymount has done for us
If we did a conference, what would it look like?
The Vision and Purpose
Leadership opportunity for our Marymount students
Empowering and inspiring leadership and confidence in middle school girls
Admission outreach and showcasing the best of Marymount to a larger audience.
Alumnae engagement Teaching girls the value of giving back
Our Marymount Girls
Approx. 55 current students and alumnae
Executive Team made up of six student chairs and three faculty chairs
Student Involvement
Executive Team Small Group Leaders Speakers Service Project Leaders Photographers Assistants Mentors
Our Guests
2012: 70 rising 6-8th grade girls from 25 different schools
2013: 97 rising 6-9th grade girls from 39 different schools
$10 fee, includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, and a BSBW memento
The Schedule – “Better Self”
“Kindness & Girls Supporting Girls” “Friendships” “Girls Have a Voice” “Confidence” “Trying New Things” “Ethics and Values”
The Schedule – “Better World” “Leadership” “Women Serving Others Around the
World” “Making a Difference” “Life-changing Community Service” “How to Help One’s Community”
Service Projects
Packed lunches for the homeless
WAPIs Beauty bags for
women’s shelter Cards for Meals on
Wheels Placemats for
Children’s Hospital Blankets for a local
animal shelter
Why You Should Do It
Opportunity for faculty/staff to work with students in a more personal way and on a different level
Approx. 3 months of planning – 1 week of intense training for small group leaders and speakers
Budget = $3900 – we spent around $3200 and brought in $1,020 in income
A conference that makes a big impact, but is small-scale