YOUTH PUT LEADERSHIP INTO PRACTICE ON NATURE TRAIL

Last Summer, youth participants in Detroit Community Justice Partnership’s Leadership Program quickly learned that leadership is not only the art of using influence. During a field trip to the Oak Woods Nature Center, the youth became skilled at not only providing guidance and giving direction, but the importance of following the direction and guidance given by another.

The youth began their leadership expedition at the beginning of a long winding dirt path that led to a wilderness of uncertainty. The youth were charged with the responsibility of finding their way to the other side within a certain time frame. The guide led them to a location in the woods and gave them specific instructions that were imperative to their successful expedition to the other side.

This excursion was one that many will not soon forget. The strange sights and sounds of deer, raccoons, squirrels, and other unknown inhabitants caused many of the youth to quickly join together as a team to find their way out of the woods. They learned that although leaders give guidance their role must also consist of teamwork and group contribution. One participant, remarked, “Leadership is not only having to know how to lead but knowing how to follow also.”