AUS students participate in Leaders Edutainment Day

The Student Leadership Program (SLP) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) held its first Leaders Edutainment Day (LED) on Saturday, October 15 as a new initiative under the Emerging Leaders Program.

Designed for freshmen, the event focused on developing leadership skills through meaningful team building exercises with an emphasis on leadership traits. The event began with an ice breaking session in which team leaders asked freshmen to introduce themselves and talk about their hobbies, favorite sports, books and lifestyle.

Then followed sessions of intense games created to develop leadership skills with three strategies in mind: critical thinking, team building and communication. Students had the opportunity to interact with new students, work in a team and understand the importance of effective communication. The event also emphasized character development through motivational leadership games. This allowed students to network with their peers and find ways to complete tasks in a timely manner.

"Leadership activities are a wonderful method for developing social and communication skills. We plan to repeat LED again in Spring 2012 and we encourage more freshmen to participate," said Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

According to freshman Mohamed Hegazi, "Leaders Edutainment Day is an opportunity for future leaders to learn important and essential leadership qualities from their senior counterparts. The event was very entertaining and full of challenges for us."

The event was organized by the SLP, with team leaders playing an active role in the regular meetings and brainstorming sessions needed to put the program together.