“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”​

​We offer a unique extracurricular programme to a selected group of 25 students a year. This hands-on programme is all about tapping into and developing potential leadership characteristics, qualities and practice. It is about instilling a Can Do attitude by:​

  • ​Exploring the concept of leadership in structured discussions​
  • ​Talking to and learning from people who are in leadership positions, whether on a local, national or international level​
  • ​Taking part in an inspirational trip to learn about leadership in practice​
  • ​Developing leadership skills, habits and attributes in hands-on interactive workshops and activities​
  • ​Building a network of like-minded people​
  • ​Practising public speaking​
  • Putting all this learning into action by organising a final event such as the public speaking competition as part of World Speech Day

 

futureleaders.ppl@uea.ac.uk

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 Comments from previous participants

Ulfet EnverFuture Leaders has been one of the most amazing experiences at UEA and has greatly impacted both my personal and professional development. Delivering a speech at World Speech Day, organised by Future Leaders changed my life. It not only built my confidence, but it allowed me to realize my love for public speaking which I continue to pursue. The support and workshops Future Leaders have provided has enabled me to deliver such great speeches and talks.

Future Leaders has allowed me to connect with so many different individuals, from business leaders to like-minded students. Collaborating with these individuals on multiple projects has greatly developed my teamworking skills and how to utilize our strengths to create successful projects. I have developed life-long connections. As host and producer of Future Leaders Ask, I have built my leadership skills and successfully led a team to achieve our collective aims. Not only this, but it guided me towards the career which I wish to pursue and the cause to which I want to fight for- sustainability and tackling climate change.

I have become a more pro-active individual thanks to Future Leaders and continue to use the skills I have built during the programme to help me achieve my goals. The programme provided me with the support I needed both personally and professionally.

Jamie RhodesAfter having worked in Japan for five years following my undergraduate degree, I came to UEA as a postgraduate student looking to find more of a focus in my career. However, I soon found this difficult to achieve through study alone. When I first came across Future Leaders, I initially approached the program as a way to learn more about leadership and become more confident in public speaking. However, in addition to being more comfortable with speaking in front of large groups of people, the most valuable skill that Future Leaders has given me is the ability to focus my ideas towards affecting change.

From talks by sitting cabinet ministers to business leaders, meeting and speaking with many influential figures has made me realise the importance of being proactive in setting out a clear vision and then enlisting the help of others to achieve your goals. Subsequently, I have applied this philosophy when creating a detailed business plan that secured £2,000 funding from UEA Student Enterprise, as well as in the planning of successful student-led events, such as World Speech Day Norwich. In summary, Future Leaders has not just shown me which doors may be open for me - it has shown me how to focus and open them myself!

Future Leaders began as I was entering my third year of studying Media with Politics within the school of PPL. I had already developed my desire to get involved in as much as possible at university and the programme attracted me by offering the chance to develop my public speaking and project development skills. I went to become a Student Officer at the Students' Union and now work daily in a small team making big decisions with ease.

I remember one event with my Future Leader colleagues, sitting at a Youth Leadership celebration dinner with Jeremy Hunt MP on one table and Preet Gill MP on another and watching Jon Snow (Channel 4 News) present awards to young people who were making big differences in their communities. Those are the type of networking opportunities you just don't get from sitting in the library all day. I always look back on my time with Future Leaders with great joy and I urge every PPL student to apply- you never know where it will take you!

Edvin Nordheim Edvardsen Previously to UEA, I was unable to speak publicly, blotted with a lack of confidence, a stutter, and an all-round unconvincing body presence; I tended to keep away from situations that placed me the centre of attention with no safety net. Beth repeatedly supported me in overcoming this, be it convincing me to attend speaking events, competitions or training she was extremely persistent and involved in my progress. It was through her directly helping rehearse and edit my speech that I was privileged enough to speak at a TEDx Norwich. I subsequently secured an internship at The Independent and had two of my articles published.