The SSS Leadership Programme is an opportunity for aspiring young leaders, to come together to learn new skills, share experiences, and connect with others across the network. This programme has been successfully run for the last 6 years, and has often aided its graduates to become Sports Presidents at Institutions, or go on to posts across the Scottish Sporting Network.
At the end of the 2022/23 programme we spoke to Freya Rennie, a leader from the University of the West of Scotland about her experience, here is what she had to say:
How has participating in the leadership programme impacted your personal growth and development?
‘Participating within the leadership programme has positively impacted by personal growth. What I valued most was the self-reflection skills I developed throughout the programme. Being provided the opportunity to reflect on both personal skills/development but also the role I play within my community allowed me to identify and address both strength and weakness to work on moving forward!’
What leadership skills did you develop or strengthen during the programme?
‘I think communication was the skill I developed the most throughout the process which was aided by the weekly meetings with Jo and other students throughout the course. By having the opportunity to discuss opinions over each weeks topic with individuals who I was initially unfamiliar with provided a space to develop this skill.’
In what way have you applied what you learned in the leadership programme to your personal and professional life?
‘In addition to the benefits my learning had on my sports committee structure, I noticed drastic improvements in other aspects of my life such as University. The programme emphasises the transferable nature of leadership skills which I found to be evident when applying what I had learned to instances such as collaborative group work for assignments, or meeting with lecturers.’
How has the leadership programme helped you become a more effective leader in your community or organisation?
‘The programme provided me with an avenue to reflect on my own position within the community of my sports committee. Gaining the ability to identify and evaluate my strengths/ weaknesses helped me aid in the development of a more productive and effective structure which had the subsequent positive effects on the team as a whole.’
Would you recommend the leadership programme to others? If so, why?
‘I would definitely recommend the leadership programme to others! Alongside the employability skills you are helped to develop throughout the process, being able to meet and learn from new people (both other students and expert guest speakers) is an opportunity everyone who has the chance to take, should.’
The 2023/24 leadership programme has taken the key elements of the last few years as well as the feedback we have had from members to offer a new and improved experience. Please find more details on these improvements as well as how to get students involved here! or drop our colleague Jo an email.