Leadership Camp: Learning to Lead, Learning to Grow

Leadership is a word that is often associated with a skill that everyone is expected to possess. Students are encouraged to develop leadership skills, particularly within the school environment. Although leadership may not be explicitly stated as a specific outcome of school co-curricular activities, it remains one of the competencies that students are expected to develop. Yet, what does it really mean to be a leader? Does being a leader mean being the bravest person in the room? Or the one who speaks the most?

Junior high school is a transitional period between childhood and adolescence. During this stage, students need various forms of support as they experience an important period of development in their identity, independence, peer relationships, and decision-making abilities.

Held on September 4–5, 2026, the Leadership Camp provided students with an opportunity to learn leadership competencies through direct and meaningful experiences. The program was designed around experiential learning, allowing students not only to learn about leadership conceptually but also to experience situations that challenged and developed their leadership skills. Experiential learning is particularly relevant in this context because it allows students to encounter the realities and complexities of leadership in different situations.

Leadership Camp became a space for students to discover themselves through the various experiences they encountered throughout the program. Away from their usual school routines, students had opportunities to observe how they responded to challenges, made decisions, communicated with others, and worked as part of a team. They learned that every individual has different strengths, limitations, ways of thinking, and ways of interacting. At the same time, experiences of collaboration taught them that leadership cannot be separated from the ability to listen, appreciate differences, demonstrate empathy, express opinions respectfully, and resolve disagreements constructively. Through these experiences, students began to understand that being part of a team is not merely about achieving a shared goal, but also about understanding and valuing the people who are walking alongside them.

The various activities during Leadership Camp also provided students with opportunities to learn how to take responsibility for themselves and their teams. This included managing their time, taking care of their personal belongings, completing assigned tasks, fulfilling their roles within the group, and considering the consequences of the decisions they made. Not every challenge could be solved easily, and not every strategy worked according to plan. In fact, it was through difficulties, failures, changes in strategy, and situations that pushed them beyond their comfort zones that students learned to keep trying, evaluate their mistakes, accept feedback, and seek solutions together. From the perspective of adolescent development, experiences such as these provide valuable opportunities to build independence and resilience. Ultimately, Leadership Camp is not only about learning how to lead others, but also about learning how to lead oneself when faced with choices, responsibilities, and challenges.

As a school counselor, I see Leadership Camp as more than simply an activity to identify who is capable of leading. More importantly, the camp serves as a space for observation and learning, where students can discover themselves, interact with their peers, make decisions, face challenges, and learn to take responsibility for their choices. Leadership does not always begin when someone stands in front of a group. Sometimes, leadership begins when a student has the courage to take responsibility, listen to a friend, acknowledge a mistake, or choose to keep trying after experiencing failure.

Perhaps this is what Leadership Camp ultimately teaches us: leadership is not always about being in front. Sometimes, it is about knowing yourself, understanding others, and having the courage to keep growing.

Author: Muchammad Riduwan, S.Pd., Gr.