This year I was fortunate enough to have been selected, along with 3 other Columba students, to attend the University of Otago Young Women in Leadership programme.

The programme consisted of two workshops held at the university and active participation in small group work with students from a variety of schools to plan, implement and report back on a small project from March to May.

Isabella, Pippa, Monet and I all attended the first workshop in March during which we learnt a lot about different leadership styles and how we can use our own strengths and passions to develop our own personal leadership style and identity. We enjoyed listening to the guest speakers and getting to meet students from other schools. It was great to reflect on the wonderful leaders and leadership skills.

We were each assigned to a group, based on our interests and then worked within our group to design and carry out our projects. My group met regularly on google meets and worked on our project called Toi Together. We aimed to raise awareness of Maori culture through the arts. We created brochures on our topic to share with the wider community.

The second workshop day required us to present our projects (in our groups) and our findings to the attendees. Unfortunately, this was during our mid-year exams, and some people were not able to attend. Fortunately, I was able to attend and Monet attended for part of the day.

It was great to network with young women from other schools who have a shared passion for leadership. I am grateful to Columba College for having supported us to participate in this and to the University of Otago for arranging the programme, great food and the hoodie.

- Alice