This activity involved 80 other students who will also be barazza leaders at the up and coming Round Square International Conference along with the student steering committee. Barazza discussions will be compulsory at this conference which is why we are training 80 of our fellow students to run them. We will also be having practice barazza sessions at our own school. Barazza means “all on the same level” so people of all ages come together to discuss issues of global importance. This activity also involved a week of leadership training with the JUMP foundation at the Regent’s Koh Chang IDEALS centre.
Barazza leader meeting
What were my aims?
1. My aims for this activity are to become better at facilitating discussions with people of all ages and thus become a better communicator.
2. I also want to become more confident when speaking to a group of people and to learn some fun and effective ice breakers to use during the conference.
All barazza leaders on Koh Chang
What did I do?
At school we had barazza training sessions led by teachers and gap staff every Thursday after school and a couple times on Saturdays as well. During these sessions we were given stimuli such as a video or a speaker. We were then spilt up into groups where two people had to lead the discussion on the topic of the relevant global issue. We also had one week towards the end of the year where almost all 80 barazza leaders went to Koh Chang to undergo a leadership training program with Mr. Justin Bedard from the JUMP foundation. The trip was a huge success and on a personal level I definitely became more confident through several public speaking exercises. Between leadership exercises we played many games which could potentially be used as ice breakers during the conference, just as I’d hoped for. My personal favorite was the miniature tank game where everyone gets down on all fours, repeatedly saying “Miniature tank! Miniature tank!” in a funny voice, then walks in a straight line and just keeps walking until everyone bumps into each other and ends up falling over onto the floor.
Some barazza leaders engaging in a team building exercise
Did I encounter any problems along the way?
It wasn’t easy getting everyone out of school and to Koh Chang for a week and unfortunately not everyone could come. To solve this problem we arranged our own mini leadership training day on a Saturday after school where we passed on the games and exercises we’d picked up from the JUMP facilitators to the people hadn’t been able to attend.
Some barazza leaders and I playing one of JUMP's team building games
What have I learnt?
I’ve learnt little tricks to become a more confident public speaker and communicator such as standing up straight, legs shoulder width apart, loud and clear voice, keep making eye contact, pause, don’t speak too fast, speak with expression and with your hands etc. Through reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses I have been able to improve on these points. I also bonded really well with most of the barazza leaders and especially with the student steering committee which was a huge plus!
Find out more about JUMP!: http://www.jumpfoundation.org/
Article and photos from the trip by Denali Barron: http://www.thailandclimbing.com/experiential-education/jumping-into-leadership-and-community
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