BU students become leaders of tomorrow

16 February 2009

BU student Dan Matalon with Bronze Award

A unique programme is helping to shape BU students as leaders of tomorrow.

BU students have completed the first stage of a unique Leadership Programme developed by the Students' Union at Bournemouth University (SUBU).

Nearly a third of participants on the programme have now completed the Bronze stage, and are heading for Silver after attending six leadership workshops and spending a further 20 hours volunteering in the community.

The Programme offers a management-level experience with sessions such as ‘Communication – the psychology of understanding’ and ‘Leadership – what kind of leader am I?

Jon Bowmer, Director of Communications & Learning for the SUBU said: “We wanted to create a quality programme that lots of people could take part in, which combines active and thought-provoking workshops with practical volunteering experience. Being a leader is about what you do rather than what you know, so our sessions are steered towards active participation.

“It’s all about demonstrating leadership, which means that you should be able to tell that the participants have taken part in the programme by the example they set.”

BA (Hons) in Computer Visualisation & Animation final-year student Dan Matalon was one of the first to collect his Bronze award. He said: “I always tell people how much there is to be gained from the Leadership Programme.

“I’ve definitely developed and become a more well-rounded individual. As a result, I’m now teaching conversational English to foreign students through a new English communication Culture Club, set up by the University’s Centre for Global Perspectives.”

The Leadership Programme is available to all BU students, free of charge, with sessions offered and repeated throughout the week during term time.