Great leaders are not born—they practice—and the best practice starts early. With National Student Council’s Emerging Student Leader program, middle level students have their own recognition program that identifies outstanding student council leaders who have made significant strides in developing their skills as young leaders. Students who earn the Emerging Student Leader designation have shown strong leadership aptitude and a willingness to continue improving.
The Emerging Student Leader recognition program:
- Provides students and advisers with a set of criteria specifically selected for middle level leaders that identifies basic knowledge, skills, and behaviors that foster leadership development in early adolescents
- Challenges students to extend and personalize their student council experience by striving to meet the NatStuCo criteria
- Advances middle level leaders in their aspirations to be effective high school student leaders
- Cultivates better leaders earlier in their academic careers, ultimately improving the culture of your student council and creating exemplary role models for other students
The program design allows advisers to work with students to track their skills over the course of the academic year, culminating in an evaluation using the criteria checklist. Students will also answer written reflection questions and submit to their advisers as a way to demonstrate growth in their leadership abilities and provide personal accounts of their experiences as they become Emerging Student Leaders.
Students can be recognized at two levels based on how many of the criteria are met:
- Emerging Student Leader—Developmental Level
- Emerging Student Leader
The Emerging Student Leader program evaluates skills in the following categories:
- Governing Documents
- Follower Skills
- Leader Skills
- Listener Skills
- Speaker Skills
- Writing Skills
- Power Skills
- Service Skills