Developing Young LeadersAn Exploration of the CEO Leadership Program at Muskoka

Woods

Chris TompkinsYouth Development Leadership, Clemson University

Introduction

• Developing young leaders is an investment in our future.

• Youth leadership efforts give young people an opportunity to acquire valuable leadership skills.

• In 1997, the Muskoka Woods CEO Leadership Program was initiated to address an identified need to develop leadership potential in 15-17 year old campers.

Problem

• Young people who engage in leadership activities consistently receive the support and opportunities necessary for healthy youth development (Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, 2003; Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2003).

• Despite the importance of developing young leaders, there is a scarcity of research on leadership development programming for youth (Murphy & Johnson, 2011).

• There are a variety of ways to define and approach youth leadership development. This makes it challenging to determine “best practices” for promoting youth leadership.

Problem

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of participants in the CEO Leadership Program at Muskoka Wood. The intent is to discover how to effectively deliver a high quality youth leadership program. Program aspects that are deemed significant contributors to the leadership development of the CEO’s will be as offered as considerations for current, or future,youth leadership development initiatives.

Literature Review

• Leadership is often understood as the knowledge, skills, and experience that makes successful leadership viable (Mumford, Zaccaro,

Harding, Jacobs, and Fleishman, 2000).

• Additional definitions focus on how a leader influences others (Burns, 1978).

• Youth Leadership is the involvement of youth in responsible action towards meeting a genuine need (Kress, 2006).

Literature Review

Stages of Youth Leadership: All youth can progress through the awareness, interaction and mastery stages of leadership development (van Linden & Fertman, 1998).

Youth Leadership Programs give youth an opportunity to develop relevant leadership skills, like brainstorming, problem solving, goal-setting, and teamwork (Boyd, 2001).

Leadership at Summer Camp: Various studies have highlighted summer camp as a fertile ground for leadership development (ACA, 2005; Garton, Miltenberger, & Pruett, 2007; Hedrick, Homan, & Dick, 2009).

The CEO Program

The CEO program at Muskoka Woods is:

• A residential leadership development program for youth 15-17 years of age, within the camp setting of Muskoka Woods

• Two, four week sessions of 32 participants each summer

• Based on a Muskoka Woods model that focuses on the development of leadership competence, character, and cadence (spiritual growth)

The CEO Program

Program components include:

• In-class instruction

• Experiential leadership

• Opportunities to lead - teaching activities and running programs for other campers

• A four-day, offsite canoe trip

Research Questions

1. What are the observed areas of leadership growth in competence, character and cadence?

2. What are the essential elements of the CEO program experience that facilitate effective leadership development?

Case Study Design

Qualitative data for this case study will be collected through:• Personal interviews with CEO participants• Observations of interviews and program

involvement• Program documents

As backyard research, potential researcher biases and relationship dynamics may impact this project. Research validity and reliability will be enhanced by establishing:• Multiple data coders• Member checks• A peer debriefer

Implications

Results of this study will serve to:

1. Strengthen the CEO program at Muskoka Woods by uncovering program success and areas for improvement

2. Fill gaps in the research on youth leadership development

3. Provide a list of “best practices” for delivering an effective youth leadership program

Developing Young Leaders

An Exploration of the CEO Leadership Program at Muskoka Woods