Beyond Tokenism: Developing Young Leaders With Real-World Skills and Agency

Create a leadership program of substance (not symbolism)

Here’s a tough question to ask about student leaders in your school.

Are they truly leading, or are they just symbols of leadership?

In some primary schools, student leadership is merely tokenism: a perfunctory effort to involve students in superficial roles that offer little real influence, skill development, or responsibility.

The result?

A golden oppor…