Who and What

This week I get to help select the winners of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. The winners get to participate in a leadership training opportunity this summer. I prefer the term leadership experience, but the process is to select the best and brightest sophomores willing to participate.
The process involves an interview where we discuss the students’ views and attitudes about leadership. I have always enjoy listening to students discuss the topic. But, sometimes I become a bit concerned about the difference between training and indoctrination. RYLA is training with the hope of building a strong group of volunteer leaders in the future.
The issue is what passes for training with youth at this level often is used with passive and sometimes not so passive indoctrination intent. As a parent, I would have concerns about the social content of some leadership courses and would be inclined to do some investigation. Many of these students are great doers and still lack the ability to think freely. They are not thinkers trained in the mode of Einstein or Galileo; they cannot break free of the rules established for them.
I truly hope to find students who can learn the elements of leadership and avoid the rules of the game.