Leadership Development Badge
What is the Leadership Development Badge?
The SUNY Westchester Community College Leadership Development Badge gives students the opportunity to acquire skills that will make them more confident leaders while providing transferable skills that can be used in any leadership role a student may face, including in their future careers. Students will spend a minimum of 20 hours completing required and elective sessions from each of these six focus areas. Some course offerings include resume writing, time management, conflict resolution, communication skills, and understanding of diverse peoples and perspectives. Additionally, students will complete and reflect on 10 hours of community service to earn this badge.
The badge is self-paced and self-guided and designed to be completed in as short as one semester. Each semester, core sessions will be offered and elective sessions will rotate and vary.
Leadership Development’s Six Focus Areas
Leadership Development’s 6 key areas include employability, leadership skill building, theory, understanding DE&I, health and wellness, and service learning.
Sessions in this focus area will provide students with skills to develop their resume, interview skills, and communication skills, while also preparing students for life after college.
REQUIRED
RESUME WRITING
Students will develop a clear life direction, demonstrate connections between current and future roles and skills and develop a resume.
ELECTIVES
Participants must complete at least 3 of the following sessions
INTERVIEW
Students will learn skills to utilize in an interview and understand basic etiquette guidelines for office oral communication.
To complete this section, go to https://sunywcc.biginterview.com/ and complete the curriculum titled “Fast Track”. Please email [email protected] to receive the access code to sign up for Big Interview. After completing the session you will receive a virtual certificate to upload.
NETWORKING AND CAREER ETIQUETTE
Students will learn basic etiquette guidelines relative to office oral communication, networking skills and tips, and how to dress for success.
TRANSFER SUCCESS PLANNING
More information to come.
FINANCIAL LITERACY
Students can choose between learning the basic steps to creating a budget or learning basic information about credit scores and their impact. E-mail Dr. Nafisah Graham Brown at [email protected] to schedule a virtual meeting with a financial coach in the MoneySmart Forum.
WORKPLACE CULTURE
Students will learn about different types of workplace environments/cultures and determine preferred types of workplaces.
Sessions in this focus area will offer students skills to become a stronger leader, recognize their own abilities and how to best use these abilities to lead a group.
REQUIRED
GOAL SETTING
Students will learn about group goal-setting techniques, how to apply these goals and what a leader does once goals have been set.
ELECTIVES
Participants must complete at least 5 of the following sessions
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Students will learn about public speaking principles and skills and how to implement these principles and skills into their presentations, while also learning how to best deliver information.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Students will learn methods for problem solving and conflict management and effective conflict resolution.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Students will learn the principles of effective time management and how to apply these principles.
VALUES & ETHICS
Students will explore their individual values and develop a personal values statement.
LEADERSHIP STYLE
Students will learn about different types of leadership styles and the ways in which their leadership style positively and negatively impacts those around them.
GROUP DYNAMICS
Students will learn how to work with “difficult personalities” and how to navigate compromising and working in group settings.
GROUP DECISION MAKING
Students will understand how groups can efficiently and effectively make decisions while resolving conflict and reaching a consensus.
Students will learn about different theories and how to use these theories to understand themselves as a leader and how to lead others more effectively.
ELECTIVES
Participants must complete at least 3 of the following sessions
SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL
Students will learn about the “Seven C’s” of the Social Change Model to facilitate positive social change.
LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: EXEMPLARY PRACTICES
Students will learn about ways to become a better leader through learning about outstanding leadership practices and leaders.
PETER DRUCKER’S THEORIES
Students will learn about Drucker’s theory which encourages leaders to lead their team to success while supporting and encouraging each individual
EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT LEADERSHIP
Students will learn about emotionally intelligent leadership and why it is an important element in leadership roles.
YOSSO’S COMMUNITY CULTURAL WEALTH
Students will learn about a model that focuses on the experience of students of color and the importance of cultural wealth for these students.
PICK A THEORY: READ A BOOK PROGRAM
Students can choose a theory of interest and read a book about that theory to further explore this interest. Students will then be required to submit a reflection project. Please e-mail [email protected] for the assignment guidelines.
MINDFUL LEADERSHIP
Students will learn about mindfulness principles/tools to assist with reducing stress and strengthening individual leadership practices.
Sessions in this area will focus about learning about diversity, equity and inclusion and how to become a stronger leader by understanding and implementing diverse perspectives and peoples.
REQUIRED
AN INTRODUCTION TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
Students will become more aware of the influence of one’s own cultural heritage on values and experiences while also learning about various people, cultures, and perspectives.
ELECTIVES – Participants must complete at least 3 of the following sessions
SOCIAL JUSTICE & RESILIENCY
Students will learn of how people, cultures, or perspectives are treated differently in the United States and how to advocate for respect of diversity.
POWER & PRIVILEGE
Students will learn to acknowledge power and privileges granted to certain groups of people and the effects this has on society.
IMPLICIT BIAS & UNDERSTANDING MICROAGGRESSIONS
Students will recognize bias and recognize their own implicit biases.
UNDERSTANDING INVISIBLE IDENTITIES
Students will learn about using inclusive language and the impact that language has on individuals.
LGBTQIA+ ADVOCATE TRAINING
Students will be able to identify ways to be an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.
UNDOCUALLY
Student will understand the meaning of a DACAmented or undocument immigrant in our socio-political content, how/where to gather accurate information, and learn steps to support undocumented students on campus.
Sessions in this area will focus on students understanding their own health and wellness, strategies to use when stressed and how to help others who may confide in you about their own health and wellness.
ELECTIVES – Participants must complete at least 2 of the following sessions
STRESS MANAGEMENT TOOL BOX
Stress can be toxic for your mind and body. Learn how to manage stress by building your own toolbox of effective tips and coping skills with Personal Counselor Pat Sheehan.
HELP A FRIEND TRAINING
The Help a Friend training empowers WCC student leaders to have real conversations with their peers. In this 1-hour training, you will learn how to connect a friend/peer to support, how to combat the stigma around mental health, and learn ways to speak up if you are worried about a friend/peer’s safety or wellbeing.
MIND/BODY BREAK FOR PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
More information to come.
SUCCESS FROM HEAD TO TOE
Students will learn how to check in with yourself, build your own toolbox of effective tips, and learn coping skills to deal with stress.
Students will complete a session to better understand servant leadership and then have the opportunity to apply what they have learned while completing community service.
REQUIRES
UNDERSTANDING SERVICE LEARNING AND SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Students will learn what servant leadership means and how to incorporate that into service-learning.
SERVICE HOURS AND REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT (10 HOURS)
Students must complete 10 hours of community service and provide a reflection on the experience.
Additional Leadership Opportunities
The following leadership programs aim to help fulfill the Leadership Development Badge requirements, enhance the leadership experience, and more.
Presentation Skills
Dynamics
Conflict Resolution
Leadership Style
Values & Ethics
Social Change Model
Power & Privilege
Leadership Style
Group Decision Making
Mindful Leadership
Stress Management Toolbox
Mind/Body Break for Physical and Emotional Wellbeing
Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth Model
Power & Privilege
Goal Setting
Decision Making
Presentation Skills
Conflict Resolution
Time Management
Group Dynamics
Group Decision MakingGoal Setting
Decision Making
Service Learning and Servant Leadership
You will also accumulate the community service hours for in person sessions only
