Developing Our Young Leaders

More than 70 young people came together recently to take part in the new Active Schools Leadership Academy.

Through the academy, the young people are learning to become young leaders, and this was an opportunity for them to develop their skills.

The event which was run by the Council's Health and Wellbeing team, took place at the Citadel Leisure Centre in Ayr.

Experts were on hand to teach the young people, preparing them for life beyond the classroom. Marketing, event planning and employability were just some of the topics covered on the day.

The young leaders also took part in sessions preparing them for the Active Schools Summer Programme. The sessions included Early Years, Warmups, Ball Sports, Dance and Racket Sports. There were also team building and fun activities too.

The young leaders will now complete further training and gain official qualifications from Sports Leaders UK over the summer break. They will also gain valuable volunteering hours at the summer programme sessions.

The Leadership Academy is also helping the young people with their CVs as well as developing transferable skills such as confidence, communication, responsibility, and organisation.

The new Leadership Academy has two levels, silver, and gold. Silver level is for S3 pupils while the gold programme is for S5 pupils. Both programmes will run over two years.

Councillor Stephen Ferry, Education Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council, said: "This was a fantastic opportunity for our young people to gain key skills to help them become stand-out candidates for the workplace or to go on to further education. I hope more young people become involved with the Leadership Academy in the future."