By: Thandolwethu Astrid Jele
Do you know what they say about champions? No? That makes the two of us because I haven’t the slightest clue. After all, my ‘champion’ status is only a few days old. I am a Mandela Washington Fellowship Africa Cup soccer champion, more like a twenty-fifth champion anyway. The soccer match between Clarke Atlanta University, Georgia State University, and University of Georgia Fellows on Saturday, July 06 2019 was the highlight of my week. It was great reconnecting with other Fellows from South Africa and enjoying a game of soccer. The win was unexpected. Another thing that was unexpected for me this past week has been the level of emotional and physical exhaustion I have been experiencing. There were days when I felt like I needed to lay back and retreat into a cushy cocoon of solitude to recharge.
Strategic planning and youth participation were the core themes of the week and I felt closely connected to the talks delivered on Youth Participatory Action and Research (YPAR). I was able to visit the Parkview Community Center where I had a great conversation with one of the young members of the community center. He shared with me that his mother moved to Parkview so that he could get the opportunity to be part of the center. He wants to go to Law School after high school so that he can teach people about their rights and represent those that cannot speak for themselves. I believe that the center has motivated him to plan his future from the perspective of a youth activist.
Young activists need all the support and tools that they can access. One of the many skills I gained last week was through learning about the Q-Perspectives® methodology to develop my own leadership theory. The Q methodology coupled with the Gallup® CliftonStrengths® test has given me the opportunity to self-introspect and identify the strengths that I can maximize and weaknesses that I can improve. Initially, my signature themes were surprising to me because I have never really seen those as strengths. For example, the learner and individualization themes are qualities that I did not think much of previously. I just saw these qualities as interest and personality, respectively. Overall, being given the chance to consistently interact with other Fellows during the Q-Perspectives® and Gallup® CliftonStrengths® seminars improved my perspective on our differences and similarities. I am happy about that and I hope I can continuously self-introspect and revise my leadership theory until it captures the essence of my leadership style, vision, and mission.
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