Bryce Henry
Ms. Sidhu
LA 2 HP: Period 1
29 August 2017
Community Leadership Essay: The Key to Leadership
As the ringing in my ear gets louder from the screams and cheers from fall rally south. The stomps, claps, and voices exemplify each divisions passion and drive for the international club some members refer to as home. Each division competes to win the district spirit stick, we shout at the top of our lungs to the point where we know our voices will be lost. It’s a matter of who has the most passion, the most pride, and who will continue to have the same passion even if they do not win. We cheered, screamed, clapped and stomped, though we didn’t win it was okay because we as the Key Club International family congratulate one another as we all tried our best. The family bond that we share as members of Key Club is unlike any other, for it is a bond that cannot be found in any other club around the world.
Key Club impacts the community in a multitude of different ways. Key Club is a service oriented club, therefore a lot of what Key Club does is volunteer at different places whether it be street clean ups, assisting local schools, goodwill drives, or do any other volunteering opportunities that are available around the community so that they can have a bigger impact and improve the community in general. Another thing that Key Club does is fundraising, their fundraising is mainly targeted towards PTP which stands for Pediatric Trauma Program, fundraising for PTP will bring funds to children who are in hospitals and need help getting their treatments and help pediatricians conduct research for the program to help the children in need. This is more of Key Club’s professional side, on the other hand, their more leisurely side consists of many exciting events, socials, and DCM’s. DCM stands for division council meetings which is basically when a division meets up and they can have training conferences or a social. An example of a social that they have is a color war, and basically it’s a color run with powdered paint, except they throw it at each other and it’s an all out war. An example of an event that they have is fall rally south which takes place at Six Flags, Santa Clarita in November. Fall rally is a spirit based event and it is basically when different divisions and different schools all come together to show off their spirit to win the CNH (California, Nevada, Hawaii) spirit stick. They all dress up in their divisions spirit wear with tutu’s, spirit sticks, face paint, and different colors. It is a really exciting event and personally, it gives me a sense of community and it is also how I fell in love with Key Club.
The Key Club community is welcoming and spreads love to each and every member, regardless of who they are or who they used to be. Contrary to common belief, Key Club is for everyone whether it be race, religion, introverted, and extroverted. It is common to think that Key Club is “only” for asians or “only” for pacific islanders, and although it is true that many members of Key Club are in fact asian, the club is open to everyone. However, there is a balance between enjoyment and professionalism within the club, and certain expectations that the club has for each and every member. Our four core values are leadership, inclusiveness, caring, and character-building, it is expected for every member to have or gain these four different values throughout their time in Key Club. In fact, the Key Club motto is, ”Caring–Our Way of Life.”
Key Club is an important community because it has given me a better outlook on life and has contributed to me becoming a better leader. Being part of the Key Club community has greatly impacted my life with providing me a safe place to develop my passion of giving back to my community and serving others. Key Club has honestly changed my life in so many beautiful and drastic ways, I would not know a majority of my closest friends without this organization. I am in my position as part of the spirit team branch of the DLT board because of my love for this organization. After a year of doing Key Club it had done many amazing things for me, such as providing me with enhanced skills as a leader, communication and socialization skills, and outstanding friendships I have made over this past year. Because of what Key Club has given me, I can finally give back by serving the division I love.
A leader in this specific area has to be able to take charge when needed and still be able to be a servant leader as well. We work with the community, we do not work the community. Leaders must have the drive and spirit to make a change, if they have that they can go just about anywhere. Experienced or not, a leader can be born into it or they can be taught by those they lead how to be a true leader. In order to be a leader in this community,
“A leader needs to be able to bring others together in order to accomplish your goals. Whether it be community service or a fundraiser, a leader must be able to communicate. As a leader in Key Club, there will be moments where you need to sacrifice some time in order to be successful.” (Ryan Lin)
Easily, the first step to becoming a leader in Key Club is to have the spirit of change and service in one’s heart and understanding that one is at Key Club’s meetings and events for the sake of helping out the community. Making decisions that bring the community forward can create many opportunities to let one’s leadership skills shine. One of Key Club’s missions is to provide its members with opportunities to do community service. Overall, since Key Club is a club that preaches inclusiveness, there is not much needed other than a positive attitude to fit right in.
Key Club has many objectives as a whole. Some examples of these objectives are to develop initiative and leadership, to serve the school and community, and to prepare for useful citizenship. These are attributes we try to have in each district, region, division, and individual club. However, most importantly is to accept and promote the following ideals:
“to give primacy to the human and spiritual, rather than to the material values of life, to encourage the daily living of the Golden Rule in all human relationships, to promote the adoption and application of higher standards in scholarship, sportsmanship and social contacts, to develop, by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship, to provide a practical means to form enduring friendships, to render unselfish service and to build better communities, and to cooperate in creating and maintaining that sound public opinion and high idealism which makes possible the increase of righteousness, justice, patriotism and goodwill.” (Key Club International)
It is common for one to only want to go to Key Club to look good for a college application. However, these objectives are not to look good on one’s college applications but to better one’s self entirely.
Personally, I have not always been the best “leader” per se, however I've always been seeking to become one. I joined clubs and class council and they did get me to become a better leader, but Key Club is the organization that made me who I am today. Now, I even attend leadership conferences that enhance my skills and abilities as a leader. Leadership is very important within Key Club,
“Key Club offers numerous opportunities, both large and small, for student members to take on leadership roles. The leadership generally is divided into three levels; club, district, and international. In order to serve as an officer at any level, the candidate must be a dues-paid member in good standing of the organization. The best way to learn about the responsibilities and demands of any given office is to speak with the current office holder.” (Key Club International)
Key Club also hosts many events that help enhance one’s skills and abilities as a leader. For example, RTC which stands for region training conference, and basically it teaches more about Key Club and how to be a leader in one’s community. The leadership conferences can range from OTC, RTC, and DCM’s and the only thing one needs to be able to attend is to be in Key Club and have a positive attitude.
Nevertheless, Key Club has truly made a positive impact on my life and has brought me many opportunities to let my passion of giving back grow. Key Club has not only impacted me as an individual but the whole community in general. It is always welcoming new members, providing them with a safe place to come to and meet new people. Key Club will assist in one’s progression as a leader ensuring that they will take charge and initiative when necessary, that they will be a servant leader to the community, and that they are prepared for the professional side of not only Key Club, but the outside world itself. Key Club is an important community because it has the potential to give everyone a better outlook on their lives and contribute to them becoming better leaders in their communities.