Do you want to be a SADD National or Regional Leader?
If you’ve been involved with SADD for a while you’ll know that it is so much more than just road safety. A huge part of our programme and what we are passionate about is leadership.
Leadership takes many shapes and forms in life, and within the SADD programme this is no different. We strongly believe that there are many ways to be an inspiring and effective leader and the different skills, qualities and personalities that young people possess can all be channeled into leadership in some way. Leadership means something different to everyone and often it’s the people and experiences that you are exposed to that help shape your own leadership journey.
Within the SADD/Kaitiaki o Ara, we have a specialised leadership development programme that has grown and evolved each year. This is for year 12 students and runs through until you leave school at the end of year 13. Our renowned National Leadership Programme has been the centre of this for the past 10 years, however we have recognised the benefit and need of additional streams to help us cater to and support more students with a variety of leadership aspirations and qualities. In 2021 we introduced a new stream of leadership and welcomed 5 Regional Leaders on board alongside our 12 new National Leader recruits. The Regional Leadership arm of the programme has proven to be a fantastic initiative and is something we are continuing in 2022.
So what is the difference between these two streams?
The National Leadership Programme is an opportunity for students to build their leadership experience and networking skills, work with likeminded youth from around Aotearoa, help develop SADD’s vision and plan for the future, represent young people at a national level and advocate for young people committed to preventing loss on our roads. National Leaders focus on projects and issues that affect the SADD programme nationally, such as providing input to programme development, resource design, and strategic development.
National Leaders get together for training workshops in the school holidays, learn about key topics such as media presence and road safety strategy, and provide consultation and youth input into the SADD programme. If you’re someone who loves looking at the big picture and having a say in the ‘why’ of the SADD programme, then the NLP could be for you.
The Regional Leadership Programme is an opportunity for students to develop their leadership skills in a regional context, working primarily on innovative group and individual projects that will benefit SADD groups within the different regions around Aotearoa. This includes designing solutions to improve school/community group collaboration and communication, improving tools to support school group leaders and committees and creating tailored resources to contribute to the success of the programme at ground level.
Regional Leaders get together for regular virtual group meetings, receive group and individual support from SADD staff and gain experience in teamwork, problem solving and networking. If you’re someone who loves to work with a small group and focus on how the programme is run in your region, then the RLP could be a great fit for you.
Applications are open throughout May for both streams of the Leadership Programme. When you apply you will be asked to select which stream you are interested in applying for, or you can choose both! There are awesome benefits that come with being involved in either group and our team will be selecting applicants for each stream based on their interests and passions.
The application form and more information can be found on our website. We encourage you to check it out and apply! Applications close on 30th May 2022.