Leadership is about service and influence

Rwanda’s children are its future; this phrase means that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. This only drives the point home that youth already have certain responsibilities that will lead them to achieve their goals and leadership is at the centre. Leadership is for everyone and not for a chosen few. Forget it when people say that only a chosen few are born leaders, because that is not true. As long as you can influence someone, to do anything, then you are a leader. But good leadership is about positive influence. Sarah Ngabire a student at Riviera High School in Kabuga says that the basic of leadership is leading by example. “A good student leader is one who does what he or she instructs others to do,” Ngabire said. “For example, It is unrealistic for a student leader in charge of sanitation to appear untidy. She must be smart and look exemplary to others.” Ngabire further explained that if leaders led by example, it would be easy for them to implement policies that will be followed. Leading is about service because the two cannot be separated. Servant leaders are those who will achieve their set goals of helping others achieve their dreams too. They are problem solvers and good communicators and do so in a peaceful way. Ben Mukunzi another student says that, “student leaders are only good if they can solve student’s burning issues by presenting them to the school administration.” He explained that some students’ representatives only enjoy holding titles without making any impact during their time to serve. These are self-serving leaders who only care about themselves. “We need effective representation, which implies that our leaders should be able to present our problems to the school administration,” he said. Mukunzi said that when leaders are to be elected; emphasis should be put on finding those who can find solutions to problems and give feedback to those they lead. He said that, “communication is very important and it is what makes a student leader.” Youth have a significant role to play as servant leaders if they are to be favoured by those in their respective schools or communities. Even though there are many challenges that young leaders face while serving others in either schools or their communities, remaining a servant- leader makes them stronger and influential in a positive way. Ends