The Position of a Student Leader - Report Example

PLACEMENT REPORT By Course Tutor University City and state Date During my stay in the campus, I undertook a placement with the Kuwait national student union. The union is the body in charge of championing for the betterment of student welfare of all Kuwaiti students. Among the issues dealt with by the agency, include the organization for accommodation for new students, negotiation for health insurance coverage and the organization of social activities. The union also acted as a brand ambassador of the Kuwait culture as it could organize events in Australia, which would ensure the popularization of the culture. My involvement with the body as a leader allowed me to take part in the organisation of various events in which the student union was involved with. Moreover, issues pertaining to the planning and overseeing of charitable events and leisure activities for the students was my duty. When it came to the settlement of new students, on the other hand, the organization tasked me with the duty of not only ensuring that they were picked at the airport but also ensuring that they got the necessary accommodation. My position as a student leader also came in handy in that I was in charge of ensuring that the events were well organized. The meetings allowed the Kuwaiti students to interact and learn from each other. This can be attributed to the fact that they came from the similar backgrounds. My involvement with the students union ensured that I accumulated a number of skills apart from the advantages. For instance, the involvement with the social activities organized by the union ensured that stress levels were decreased. In my position as a student leader, I was required by the union to organize various meetings where education and socialisation programs were carried. Education and the learning process in general work best when the stress levels are at their minimum levels. As such, the involvement with the union would a go long way toward the improvement of the learning experience. Besides that, it is also worth noting that the meetings organised by the union had education being one of its agenda. Such programmes ultimately worked towards improving the ability to study for the students. During such occasions, many programs pertaining to cultural activities, that are quite important for the development of personal identity, were undertaken by the student union. The virtue of giving back to the society is also inculcated courtesy of the many charity events organized by the union. My involvement with the charity events organized by the union ensured that I was able to nurture my society involvement aspects. The post that I was entrusted with also ensured that I oversaw the fulfillment of the events. One such occasion was the planning of the elections. I had to nurture my leadership skills during this moment, as they were the cornerstone of the issue that were being handled by the party. For instance, the rallying of the voters behind our party called for an individual with great organization and leadership skills. As stated earlier the planning of all the major events during the campaigning period was entrusted upon me. As such, I had to come up with modalities for handling major arising issues. That is from the handling of the mammoth crowds to the organization and finding of the most appropriate venues for our supporters. I was also able to understand the importance of consultations in the leadership segment. During the preparation for the last event before the voting day, one of my colleagues suggested radical measures on the agenda and the itinerary of the event. It was not an easy decision to make as the suggestion emanated from a junior employee and I was the one tasked with the handling of the preparation of the various meetings. However, after much consideration, I decided to adopt the said propositions from the colleague. The measures attributed to the suggestion later come to prove quite important for our team. Not only did we handle the event successfully but we also received accolades from the Kuwait culture office for the manner in which incorporated our culture in the implementation of the event. The placement gave me the opportunity to up my negotiation skills. In my position as a student leader, I was part of a team that negotiated with the NIB (body in charge of selling insurance policies). The opportunity allowed me to sit on the same table with officials from one of the most successful companies in Australia. The very fact that we represented the interest of a large group of individuals was quite an honour, as I have never achieved such a great achievement. Besides that, we were practically representing the interests of our country and as such, it was an opportunity that comes only occasionally. The position that I occupied during my placement empowered me with a plethora of skills and knowledge akin to what I have studied in my degree program of international studies political science major. The settlement of disputes in a workplace, for instance, is a strategic component for any leaders worth his salt. During my placement, I found this to be a factor of great importance. In the study of both management and leadership, I was inculcated with the understanding that in possessing this skill a leader can easily dispense away with any emerging issues in the workplace. Apart from the conflict management issue, I learned the importance of incorporating the suggestions of the junior members towards the betterment of the organization. It is worth noting that involving junior employees in coming up with strategic plans for the organization has always been indicated as the best way to ensure inclusiveness and subsequently the implementation of the different goals of the organization. The same factor I came to understand during the campaigning period when I agreed to take in the suggestion of a junior member. A suggestion, which gave us a head start as a team and as a brand for the Kuwait culture. Apart from the above, the position also enabled me to understand the negotiation process. One notable instance was when we were championing for the improvement of the health insurance cover of our members. The parties involved came with their demands already set and as such, we had to strike a middle ground. The NB, for instance, demanded an improvement of the funding from our part in order to grant the increase the health insurance coverage. However, as we had difficulty raising the said funds we sought the assistance of the Kuwaiti culture office. Generally, the whole procedure called for strategy, a component that we had to develop. The skill and knowledge acquired from this process have a close similarity to what I had been taught in school concerning bargaining and negotiations. The skill comes in quite handy for the settlement of deals. Leadership is another component, which I have come across in many instances during my studies at the degree level. Studying international studies and specifically political science requires a lot of time and dedication. These are some of the qualities that complemented my leadership skills. The characteristics and the skills require by a leader are many. For instance, one has to have the capabilities to organize and plan events. On a personal basis, a leader has to maintain an elaborate diary. Besides that, the character of a leader has to be impeccable in order to convince the masses that they are truly championing for their interests. However, I was able to experience them a fast hand during the placement period. From the issues of public speaking to management and organization of meetings and events, all of which have been highlighted by the tutors. On the other hand, my placement within the union leadership position exposed me to a myriad of challenges on a daily basis. As it is, leaders are required by the society to conduct themselves with the best practices as compared to the rest of the society. This called for a change of the norms and how I approached various activities as anything I did would reflect the image of the union, the body whose leadership I was part of. This was not an easy step to take but I had to do it nevertheless. Moreover, as our party was participating in the elections for the first time, I had a challenge of organizing for a myriad of events. For instance, the coming up with the right slogan that would rally the supporters of our party was one major hurdle. However, with time, we dispensed away with the issue. The mammoth crowds that we encountered throughout the campaigning period is another segment where I experienced challenges as a leader. The fact that I had never addressed such crowds meant that I had to develop the right strategy to address the issue. The size of the crowd in itself was a major hurdle in the case that we had to find the right venue to accommodate them. Besides that, the organization and giving-off clear guidance to direct the crowds on the agendas of the meetings presented a challenge for us in the leadership. The very fact that I was within an organization was another front for the challenges. In this case communication both between my juniors and those who are above me in the leadership was not easy. I had to employ tact and wit in order to ensure that I balance the various emerging issues. As highlighted above, being a leader, I had to settle disputes frequently pertaining to my colleagues. The fact that some of them were my friend made the task much complex. This is because I had to balance between personal relationship and my role as a leader. At the end of the day, I had to keep in mind the fact that leadership wielded much weight when compared to the personal relationship I had nurtured with my colleagues. Due to this realisation, I ended up receiving many accolades from my colleagues from the manner in which I resolved personal conflicts. The other challenge during the whole process emanated from the lack of cooperation by the NIB to sign the health coverage policy for our members. As stated earlier, our union had an objective of ensuring that the members received the best welfares as possible during their stay. In line with this assertion, on the realisation that the cost of living was escalating and hence making it unbearable for our members, we decided to negotiate for the upward revision of our health insurance covers. This, however, did not come easily as both the parties who responsible for the improvement of the insurance cover terms did not think it was a good idea. On the contrary, they demanded a payment increase. Kuwait culture office was the agency tasked with the financial assistance to the Kuwait students and as such, they had the sole responsibility to oversee increased funding to NIB. It was after much consultations and negotiations that we finally had a breakthrough in the exercise. The other challenge emanated from the reception of the new students from Kuwait. As a leader, I was responsible for ensuring that they landed safely in the country and that after their arrival they were accorded proper reception and the allocation of the accommodation agencies. This very act required logistical undertakings on my part. One hurdle arose from the fact that the new arrivals could not communicate well in the English language and as such had difficulty finding directions and the subsequent settlement locations. I had to rally my colleagues and other seasoned students in the country to ensure that the new arrivals met a soft landing on their arrival. In doing so, I had to rely on the advantages of the social media and specifically twitter. It required a myriad of resources and deliberation in order to ensure that each of the students acquired the most appropriate accommodation services within the area of their convenience and that their particulars were rightfully looked into. Read More