Build a Bridge – Leadership Surprises from kids!

The importance of ‘a leader to emerge naturally’.

Participants: School kids, Grade 8-11

Activity: Build a bridge

Materials Given: Newspapers, glue, adhesive tape, stapler, rubber band, colour papers and ribbons for decoration

Additional Instructions: Be creative, Name your bridge, landmarks around/above/below, bridge to be connected to a road, signboards, and sufficiently strong to place a lightweight book on it.

I did not designate any team leader.

Observations:

1. Team that had all of same age..ego clashes. No one listening to the other.

2. Team that had the ‘perhaps the academic brilliant’, he/she would not listen to others, even if his/her idea was impractical.

3. Team that had 1 ‘cool’ kid, perhaps the school’s Ms/Mr Popular got nothing done.

4. Team that had 1-2 older/senior kids and rest younger/junior kids made the best bridge meeting all criteria.

During debrief it was only the last team that said, 1 child took the lead and the rest executed along with him. All other teams said, they all worked together and we were a TEAM!!

Guess we can spot many adults in the same boat…well, the child in us never grows, huh?!! 

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