Learning For Life Programme

– Community Youth Leadership (Service & Leadership)

As our world becomes more complex and changes at a faster pace, we need to have many more leaders in every sphere and at every level. Leaders who have a clear purpose, who earn our trust and inspire us to contribute our best to improve the lives of those around us. In that way, we can do more together as a team, than working alone.”

Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education (2011-2015)

Our vision at St. Gabriel’s Secondary School is to see every Gabrielite become servant leaders, leading through serving the needs of others.

A Gabrielite servant leader exemplifies the School’s Values of Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Care. He knows and loves God, his friends, his school, the environment and his country. He is a role model who shows humility in his words and deeds, and motivates those around him through his actions. He is confident in his strengths and aware of his weaknesses, and is a lifelong learner who consistently takes steps to improve himself. He is gracious in helping others grow and develop. He empathizes with the needs of others, and is willing to go the extra mile to champion the right causes, in service to others.

The school takes a progressive approach in developing the leadership qualities in our students, with a tiered focus for each level: Self-Leadership, Collaborative Leadership, Effective Leadership and Servant Leadership from Sec 1 to 4.

Approach to Student Leadership Development
Sec 1	Sec 2	Sec 3	Sec 4 & 5
Self-Leadership	Collaborative Leadership	Effective Leadership	Servant Leadership
Leadership begins with me	Together We Stand	Together We Lead	Together we Serve and Inspire
Developmental Platforms
(I) Service through Values-in-Action
Empathy for the Needy	Promote awareness for a Green Environment	Active Service in the Community	Advocate & inspire others to be Servant Leaders
(II) Leadership Practices through Experiences
Sec 1 LEAD Camp	Sec 2 Adventure Camp	Sec 3 OBS Camp	Sec 4 & 5 STAR Camp
(III) Formal Leadership Roles
← Class Leaders →
	← School Prefects →
		← CCA Sports Leaders →

For each of these level outcomes, students have several experiences to practice their skills and knowledge.

(I) Service Through Values-In-Action

Each level has a key service experience through Values in Action where their contributions impact the school, environment, community and nation.

Secondary One students will begin to understand that Self Leadership is for everyone, at their personal level, to know their strengths and areas for growth while empathizing with others. Secondary Two students will learn the importance of Collaborative Leadership as they work collaboratively in groups to apply the leadership practices in saving the environment. The Secondary Three students are expected to become confident leaders who are able to lead and serve others effectively in their various groups, seeing and serving the needs in the community. At Secondary Four/Five levels, students will inspire and grow others to be servant leaders.

Students are engaged in Service-Learning projects designed to impart our core values of respect, Resilience, Responsibility and Care as they identify and serve the needs of the school and community and also to bring about a habit of reflection in them.

Service-Learning Themes:

Sec 1: Our School
Sec 2: Our Environment
Sec 3: Our Community
Sec 4/5: Our Nation

Through service to others, we hope to inculcate in our students a strong sense of care so that they learn to appreciate the culture and the lives of others and to progress together as one nation. This is in line with our school’s mission: ‘Service to God and Nation’.

(II) Leadership Practices through Experiences

All Gabrielites are provided with leadership training and experiences to develop their leadership competencies through our Outdoor Education programme. It is designed with the components from the UG curriculum which comprises basic First Aid, Camp craft, orienteering, map reading, outdoor-cooking, high and low elements adventure course and expeditions on land and water. The progressive scaffolding from Sec 1 to Sec 3 during our Gabrielite Camps provide authentic experiences with outdoor elements that allow our students to put the school’s values (3RC) into action within the given challenges and activities.

(II) Leadership Practices through Experiences

All Gabrielites are provided with leadership training and experiences to develop their leadership competencies through our Outdoor Education programme. It is designed with the components from the UG curriculum which comprises basic First Aid, Camp craft, orienteering, map reading, outdoor-cooking, high and low elements adventure course and expeditions on land and water. The progressive scaffolding from Sec 1 to Sec 3 during our Gabrielite Camps provide authentic experiences with outdoor elements that allow our students to put the school’s values (3RC) into action within the given challenges and activities.

(III) Formal Leadership Roles

Besides the baseline training and development for all students, our school has also put in place differentiated leadership developmental programme to identify, develop and deploy student leaders to serve in various capacities within the class, in their CCAs and as Prefects in the School. These students are selected and developed to serve in leading various school events.

Developmental Tool

Our school uses the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership, adapted from “The Leadership Challenge” written by James Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, as a guide for our student leadership development.

Model the Way	Exemplary leaders are models of the behaviour they expect of others. They recognise that their deeds are far more important than their words, and set the example through daily actions that demonstrate they are deeply committed to their beliefs.
Encourage the Heart	Exemplary leaders understand the importance of maintaining good team dynamics. They recognise the contributions of their team mates, and celebrate the successes of their peers.
Enable Others to Act	Exemplary leaders foster collaboration and build trust. They work to develop others, making them feel strong, capable, and committed.
Challenge the Process	Exemplary leaders welcome opportunities to innovate, grow, and improve. They are resilient, and are not afraid to take risks, and challenge the status quo for the right purposes.
Inspire a Shared Vision	Exemplary leaders understand the needs of others, and have their interests at heart. They have a clear direction for the team, and inspire others to take action for the common good.