What is the purpose of leadership for today? What concepts, attitudes, skills and qualities contribute to positive leadership and empower youth to navigate and overcome feelings of not belonging, of divisiveness within relationships and the high demands of societal expectations to be “successful” and “perfect”?
A group of middle and high school students in Fort Collins, Colorado, have been exploring the relationship between the purpose of leadership, photography and multi-media art during seven months. In the Being the Change through the Lens workshop, students met for two hours once a week to develop basic photography skills and explore a model of shared leadership that invites individuals to develop a new conceptual framework for personal and social transformation.
In the workshop, the 6 elements and 18 capabilities of Transformative Leadership are expressed through photography and multi-media arts, empowering students to develop their own systematic approach for learning through action that translates into positive change within themselves and in the world around them. Participants, known as Intercultural Change Agents, develop capabilities and practice skills to integrate areas of life into cohesive patterns that are in harmony with their environment and contribute to bettering relationships with self, others and society while nurturing the capability for service and contribution to the betterment of the community.
Seeing the world through the lens has been a wonderful foundation for Change Agents to take ownership of their learning and apply it in everyday life. Elements of Transformative Leadership such as our moral responsibility to investigate and apply truth and seeing others as essentially noble empower youth to problem-solve and gain greater clarity while developing the capabilities of establishing justice and consultation. Recognition that each person has a part of the “truth” is essential for collective progress and creates an environment that is rich and vibrant with ideas and plans for action. Intercultural Change Agents are the “being the change” we “wish to see in the world through the lens.
Additional elements of the Transformative Leadership framework provide a clear vision and enable young people to make sense of the tremendous changes in today’s world. These include:
- Leadership being founded on a spirit of love that is expressed through service,
- Understanding that the purpose of leadership is twofold: to personally develop qualities and capabilities and to contribute to building a more just and cooperative society,
- Practicing transcendence by connecting to universal values found in all world cultures and
- Dedication to developing capabilities in self and others
The youth of today are endowed with incredible potential and limitless capacities, such as justice, enthusiasm, zeal, and hope.
Join us on our journey as we share what we are learning about individual and social transformation through Transformative Leadership through the lens.
If you would like to initiate a similar project and would like to interchange ideas, feel free to write to me at translead9@gmail.com. You can find the book Transformative Leadership for Youth on Amazon.
About the author
Jessica Lani Kamál Kerr is a professional photographer and artist and has over 15 years experience in community empowerment at the grassroots level of community, specifically in mentoring young people in addressing the challenges of today. She has been helping students in Northern Colorado embrace beauty in diversity through offering Transformative Leadership in neighborhoods and schools. She is also the founder of Cultivating Capacities, GSO and serves on the Intercultural Community Builders’ Board of Directors, both of which are non-profit organizations based in Northern Colorado. Jessica lives in Colorado with her husband and four children.
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