Personal Development – How Vision Youth cultivates Visioneers’ leadership skills through outdoor activities

Gold Visioneers successfully built a safe shelter for team use under an unfavorable weather

Bronze Visioneers were learning how to use an outdoor cooking stove

    Silver and Bronze Visioneers had an outdoor skills training session in early July at L’Amoreaux Park. The unstable and chilly weather did not upset Visioneers’ passion to learn, but rendered them cooperative to build up a stable shelter together. Such kind of adaptability and ability to work independently and cooperatively were not inborn skills as believed, but could be trained and nurtured through ceaseless learning and practicing. Gold Visioneers took the role of a coach in this outdoor skills training session. They passed on the skills they had learnt before to the Silver and Bronze Visioneers. Through teaching the younger Visioneers, the Gold Visioneers also had an opportunity to practice and refine the skills.

    Gold, Silver and Bronze Visioneers refer to the youth participants who would like to attain The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards (DEA) through comprehensive and rigorous trainings in four aspects: adventure, community service, physical fitness as well as other skills. Vision Youth encourages every participant to attain this award as it is worldwide recognized and served as a profound proof of all-round personal development. Besides DEA, Visioneers will also be participating in other programs like Toastmasters public speaking training, first aid training, Learning Experience through Artistic Performance (LEAP), as well as community service project, to develop their own potential to the fullest.

    Since 2001, Vision Youth has been organizing outdoor adventure camps every summer. To ensure safety of every Visioneer, Vision Youth organizes a series of outdoor skills training sessions prior to the start of the camps. Visioneers will learn how to use a compass, outdoor cooking stove and walkie-talkie, and how to set up a tent and apply first aid. Having these skills trained, Visioneers will be examined and checked if they have truly understood every skill they learnt. This is to ensure their understanding as well as their safety most importantly.

Bronze Visioneers were learning how to set up a tent

    The mission of Vision Youth is to inspire and coach our youth to become visionary leaders. Placing an emphasis on outdoor skills training and outdoor activities shows the vision and uniqueness of Vision Youth’s programs since participants could have learnt many useful skills such as leadership skill, interpersonal skill, outdoor skills, etc. through joining outdoor activities. Being a good leader is not as simple as one can think of. In Great Learning, one of the “Four Books” in Confucianism, mentioned the prerequisites of being a good leader, namely cultivate oneself, keep one’s family in order, run the country well, and bring peace to the world （修身﹑齊家﹑治國﹑平天下）. Therefore, cultivating oneself is essential to success. Vision Youth provides young participants with ample opportunities to cultivate and develop themselves through organized physical and non-physical trainings. Having these essential skills trained and equipped, Vision Youth aspires to inspire Visioneers to build up healthy personal and cultural values as well as a global vision.