Famous Belizean scientist hosts Youth Leadership Academy
Dr. Arlie Petters is Belize’s famous scientist. Dr. Petters lectures at Duke University in North Carolina, but every year he comes to Belize for a science and math summer programme. And this year the Petters Research Center in Dangriga, undertook a new initiative to provide good leadership skills to teenagers in a project named: Youth Leadership Academy.
Oneyda Flores, Reporting
During the course of one week twenty-eight teens from different districts and different ethnicities participated in the Youth Leadership Academy, learning how to embrace who they are and learning the necessary skills to become a great leader.
Dr. Arlie Petters, Founder Petters Research Institute
“As you know in the past our focus was in mathematics and science as well as technology but to me leadership in our country is even more fundamental and in fact developing young leaders is more urgent. So for me a low P.S.E. score in math compared with giving students the character traits, giving them the principles and tool they will need to develop as leaders is far, far more important.”
Oneyda Flores
“What was the most challenging part?”
Dr. Arlie Flores
“I would say the toughest part of this type of programme has to do with the self transformation that each student has to go through because you have to look at yourself and say: what are my strengths, what are my weaknesses what will I do to change to develop those seven habits of a highly effective leader?”
The seven habits of being an effective leader are: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, first seek to understand then to be understood, synergize and renew yourself. Bu the initiative was not without its challenges.
Marcia Petters, Director of Youth Leadership Academy
“In terms of challenges I should say that we needed to make sure that we were able to reach out to students at every level. So we found that we broke up the students by age range so that they would feel comfortable communicating with each other and they had like issues.”
The students were very happy to have successfully completed the programme and feel that they have a much different perspective of life and themselves.
Oneyda Flores
“What did you learn for this one week program?”
Kristy Irvin, UB Student Participant
“It was very interesting it was something that you have to realize its something that you … its principles that you have to gain and values you have to look at yourself first and look at how you view yourself before you can lead others and help them make the right decisions in life.”
Apart from leadership training, the students were also provided with the necessary tools to work through daily character and ethical dilemmas as well as learning about HIV/AIDS, Drug Abuse and C.P.R. to name a few. And as the song goes… the children are our future and this initiative seeks to give these students the capacity to one day become great leaders. Reporting for News Five, Oneyda Flores.
Dr. Petters hopes to expand the programme countrywide. The programme was co-sponsored by the Lifeline Foundation.
