Story 48 - Real Leadership Challenge
Every fall, mentors and mentees come together before Fall Kick-off to discuss current challenges that mentees face in their schools. Using the Social Change Model of Leadership as a framework, the Real Leadership Challenge retreat starts a conversation about the role mentees can play in addressing real leadership challenges in their schools. The Real Leadership Challenge originated in 2018 as part of Dr. Hannah Sunderman’s graduate work with NHRI. Her goal was to enrich the NHRI student experience by incorporating leadership theory into their development journey.
Real Leadership Challenges are derived from the seven values of the Social Change Model with each year highlighting a different component of the model. The intentional curriculum creates a centralized process for mentorship development and, “speaks to the evolution of the number of students in NHRI,” Dr. Hannah Sunderman, NHRI Program Director, 2022. The hour before Fall Kick-off, NHRI Mentors and Mentees join their mentee age-specific rooms and engage in conversations around the retreat material.
What makes these conversations so impactful? Former Graduate Assistant, Victor Mpore shares that it’s the student experience.
Victor Moore, Hannah Sunderman and Addy Sellon at an Annual Recognition Day
“These retreats started a conversation and the retreat was not the endpoint. ”
Real Leadership Challenges serve as the beginning of an ongoing conversation between mentors and mentees.
The conversations can, and typically do, go deeper than the initial hour spent together speaks to the impact Real Leadership Challenge retreats have on the student experience. The framework developed by Dr. Sunderman is one that we’re thankful to have and look forward to continuing to implement for years to come.
The first three years of this curriculum have been published by Dr. Sunderman and Dr. Hastings in the Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship.
The topic for the upcoming 2024 retreat is ‘Controversy With Civility.’ The retreat will focus on distinguishing significant aspects of one's identity, analyzing controversial conversations, and developing a civil response to promote positive social change.
RSVP for Real Leadership Challenge and Fall Kickoff today!
