Youth Leadership in India: A Practical Approach to Developing Cross-Culturally Sensitive Programs

• In Event: Cross-Cultural Studies

Short Description

Leadership educators must recognize leadership theory is not universal. This presentation will examine the development and implementation of a youth leadership program in Chennai, India. Attendees will learn different stages of creating cross-culturally sensitive curricula, along with challenges, opportunities to expect, best practices, and lessons learned.

Detailed Abstract

Youth leadership educators often have to be creative in how they adapt adult leadership development models for a younger audience. MacNeil (2006) argues there is a noticeable absence of youth in the leadership literature. This challenge is even more pronounced for educators seeking to find theory applicability in non-Western cultures. While Wingenbach and Kahler (1997) found claims to support the value of youths participating in leadership development programs, the research on best practices is lacking. This is especially true from an international context. How can Western trained leadership educators be inclusive and adaptive in their curriculum in order to be successful in a different cultural context? A comprehensive curriculum to teach young leaders in Chennai, India was developed using elements of models developed by Ricketts and Rudd (2002) and Redmond and Dolan (2014). This presentation will share examples from two different cohorts, one in 2012 and the other in 2015, who participated in the leadership program. Attendees will learn stages of developing a curriculum that can be implemented cross-culturally, the challenges or opportunities to expect, best practices, and lessons learned.

Curriculum Overview

1. Developing a definition of leadership. Although people have the capacity to learn leadership, their lack of understanding is why communities suffer from the lack of effective leaders (Ricketts & Rudd, 2002). Helping participants articulate their understanding of leadership and develop a definition that is grounded in theory and lived experiences can help them better identify with leadership concepts. This first point was covered through a series of presentations and group discussions. Looking at the lives of leader—those with whom the participants are familiar, including Hitler and Gandhi—and analyzing what made them great or unsuccessful proved to be an effective method.

2. Skills. In their conceptual model for youth leadership development, Redmond & Dolan (2014) categorized skills in the four sub-categories: social and emotional intelligence, insight and knowledge collaborate, and articulate. Well-structured facilitation, interactive lectures, and activities can be effective tools for helping student develop their skill set, when they encourage students to reflect, seek understanding of self and others, and utilize critical thinking skills (Ungerleider, 2012). Participants sharpened their skills by doing. Glaser (1984) showed the best way to teach these skills is to incorporate them in the content of training programs. Throughout the program students were encouraged to think critically about what it means to be a leader. For example, they were asked to create a skit to capture key points of various leadership approaches. It was important, in the early stages of implementation, to have the students and teachers in the host school have input on how the curriculum was structured. A number of semi-structured interviews we conducted, with teachers, current students, and alums; to ensure adequate time was spent on skills these stakeholders felt to be essential to participants’ leadership development.

3. Social responsibility and an understanding of service. It is difficult to accurately measure youth empowerment in various programs; however, Wagaman (2011) proposed the social empathy framework not only adds value to youth programs, but also creates a more reliable strategy to measure empowerment. Wagaman (2011) defines social empathy as the ability to gain compassion for others, “develop contextual understanding of historical and current social and economic inequalities and disparities, and promote social justice” (p. 278). The social empathy framework enables young people to develop a sense of mission to change the world as they partner with local service providers. MacNeil and McClean (2006) found participants gain significantly more from youth programs when they are involved in civic engagement as a means to learn-by-doing and giving back, rather than just learning to be a leader or becoming empowered. A combination of traditional youth development training and youth in governance is what the authors propose. Youth development programs should primarily focus on the latter, because participants can practice leadership in partnership with adults, which result in a far more impactful experience. Young people engage in the community and use the knowledge acquired in the classroom to serve. The service learning method allow participants to see the practicality of what they are learning and become empowered as they apply skills acquired. As part of the program, the participants planned and executed a day of service working with children who have been infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. By seeing the connection between class and the real world, participants are able to see the bigger picture. Some participants took to Facebook to reflect on their experience.

“Thank you {instructor}...for giving us this WONDERFUL chance...we would never forget this...it has made a great impact on us...I understand how we r socially responsible...THANKS A LOT...” Revathy Sivaraman, 8.5.12

An assessment of the program found participants not only increased their leadership ability, but also believed knowledge gained will be applicable in other aspects of their lives. The program demonstrated the positive impact leadership training can have on young people and consequently in their communities. The following is an outcome of Laskshmi’s reflection on his experience a couple weeks after the program ended.

[The program] taught me about leadership and [communication…] I used it. Yes, I conducted a counseling program in my area and made people to know me and I made them to unite and we altogether cleaned our area ....also planted many plants by roadside and now my street looks awesome. –Lakshmi Narayanan, 8.21.12

Working with young people is rewarding, but can also be challenging. In a cross-cultural setting, as an outsider, educators have a unique set of obstacles. These include: communicating with institutional hosts prior to program implementation, constructing assessment tools that fit the cultural, adapting content to respect local traditions, and accepting a new normal. Some valuable lessons include: making meaningful connections with locals contribute to success and personal experience, sensitivity to customs matter because people watch your every move, and observing local pedagogy can inform effective ways to adapt teaching style.

Participant

• Sky Georges, University of Florida