Based on the principles of democratic education, the leadership courses at the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre enable youth to discover their full potential while developing skills to work towards a vision of a more just and vital school and community.
Each OELC course will:
- Engage and educate youth so that they can return to their schools and communities ready to make a positive difference;
- Maximize the potential of emerging leaders towards becoming responsible and participating citizens in their schools and beyond;
- Provide youth with the opportunity to develop connections with other young community leaders across Ontario;
- Create safe learning environments where the disposition and skills to dialogue across difference can be nurtured, where diversity is welcomed, conflict is accepted and negotiated, and critical questions are encouraged;
- Allow participants to gain new insights, examine learned behaviours, challenge biases and become empowered agents of change;
- Design opportunities for young people to imagine and create other possibilities for themselves and their world based on democratic principles of social justice and equity.
All of the leadership courses at the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre are designed to develop key leadership skills – interpersonal communication, collaborative skills, creative problem-solving, celebration of diversity, and organizational skills. Responsibility, inclusivity, community and global awareness are strong components of every course.
Every student who attends OELC must be supported in their application by a teacher. Each secondary and senior elementary school in Ontario receives an application package for every course. Teachers then nominate suitable students to attend a course based on their observed leadership potential/interest in a particular area eg. the arts, athletics, school leadership, other initiatives. Parents may also submit an application for their child but an associated teacher must support the nomination. There is a 60 year history at OELC that it is considered an honour for both students and staff to attend an OELC course - this is evident in the quality of our programs and participants.
To ensure province-wide participation, travel subsidies are available for students and teachers from remote areas. Students from other provinces and countries are welcome to attend on a space available basis.
A key result of our programs at the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre is that the participants (both students and teachers) return to their various schools and communities with fresh ideas and new skills and attitudes. They are encouraged to become involved in leadership initiatives and to become advocates for the same global citizenry that is celebrated at OELC.
Seldom do students have the opportunity to work and learn together in an ideal environment with a staff who are dedicated in their role of leadership development and its effect on personal growth and Ontario's educational systems. Historically, our province has been able to reap the rich returns from the participants influenced by the OELC experience.