JOSEPHITES OUT FOR 'LET'
Gurpreet Singh Lamba
St. Joseph’s High School,
Wadala
26th September, 2012
A very exciting day it was for us students (leaders) of St. Joseph’s on
21st Sept 2012 as we were setting out for our leadership camp to Don
Bosco Lonavala. The journey by bus commenced at 1.30pm with a short prayer by
our Principal. We were accompanied by our Principal Fr. Bernard Fernandes, our Headmistress
Ms. Nicole Britto, Ms. Cressieda Murzello, Mr. Tony Desa, and Mr. Avinash
Gracious. Upon reaching Lonavla, we were welcomed by the Rector, Fr. Cletus
D’Souza, and were served some light snacks and a cup of tea. Thereafter we were
directed to the dormitory where we kept our luggage, and readied ourselves for
a walk around the campus. We were led by
Fr. Bernard, who briefed us about the niceties of life in the boarding – not
many of us were familiar with this way of life – and the happenings at the
place. As we walked, we reached Maria
Ashiana, an institute for street children, where we saw the boys cleaning the
place, helping each other and playing with one another. We noticed that for these children the others
around were their family. We were moved by this sight. Along the way, we saw
the vast green grounds – a rare sight in Mumbai – and we could not resist the
idea of a football/basketball game. Fr.
Bernard heeded to our request, and got a few aspirants to arrange for some
sports equipment. We had a great
basketball match between the naughty ninth’s and the terrific tenth’s, while
others enjoyed playing football, table tennis and badminton.
After the game, and then a quick bath, we were
rejuvenated and ready for the first session. In the AV room, we were introduced
to the team of Fr. Cletus, Sr. Caroline, Bro. Vishal and Sir Ryan who would
together conduct the sessions on LET: LEADERESHIP EFFECTIVE TRAINING.
In the first session, Bro. Vishal explained the
importance of a good leader through a video clipping on a game of football that
showed the coach guide his team through effective communication; and then
through an engaging blindfold activity with the message that a good leader has
to be a guide and a good animator.
At dinner time, a well thought out arrangement in the
dining hall, designed to bring together the Mumbai Josephites and Lonavla
Boscoites helped create a bond between the two groups. A lot of pleasantries were exchanged and
personal information gathered over the dining table. This continued for some
more time during the night recreation.
Another session in the night was conducted by Mr. Ryan
who spoke to us about the five most valuable things that a leader should have:
Goal Setting, Commitment, Passion, Visualizing things and Personal Belief. It is the attitude, he said, that makes the
lion the king of the jungle. It was necessary to communicate well, focus on our
goals, motivate ourselves, and these would guarantee the making of a good
leader. A movie was screened for us based on qualities of a leader.
It was then time to go to bed but the excitement and
enthusiasm didn’t allow us to sleep much. We set out for a walk early next morning
relishing the cool climate, savouring the sweet sound of the chirping of the
birds, and delighting in the freshness of the early morning breeze.
After breakfast, the session was conducted by Sr.
Caroline who involved us in some breathing exercises, and welcomed a feedback
on the movie screened the previous night. She left us with a very deep insight: We carry something very important within
ourselves, viz. ENTHUSIASM! Before lunch, we went shopping for chikki, fudge,
farsan…these specialities of Lonavala still attract crowds to the sweet shops.
After lunch, it was Fr. Cletus all the way. He compared two great
personalities, HITLER and CHAPLIN, who differed totally from each other. Fr. Cletus enlightened us on the topics of
leadership and team, and summed up saying that it’s our attitude not aptitude
that raises us to great altitude!
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