This Is Y.Lead: The Leadership Journey

To create astute leaders, capable of leading even in the world of tomorrow.

That is the objective of Y.LEAD, a one-week event held annually in River Valley High School, where we gather our Year 3s and a few others and have them experience an exhausting, yet exciting crash course on leadership. With a total of 444 participants this year, featuring participants from four other Singaporean schools as well as six overseas schools, Y.Lead seeks to create an environment in which young teenagers can effectively learn the skills they need to be an effective leader, not just for the remainder of their school life, but in their future pursuits as well. This event enabled participants to practise their leadership and go on learning journeys to different places in Singapore so as to enrich their minds. Moreover, they also learnt a mass dance and tackled the iconic 15-Hour Challenge.

Every year, Y.LEAD has a different theme and objective. This year’s theme is Leaders@Tomorrow.world. Reminiscent of the format of an email, this particular theme places emphasis on the skills needed for leaders in a world dominated by IT and smart technology - essentially the world we live in today. As smart technology progresses, we must also exercise our ability to adapt to the difficulties of the modern world and solve global issues.

To kick-start their training, the specially tailored experiential Leadership-Character Development Programme emphasised enhancing the leadership qualities of participants and building their team dynamics. Via station games which mirror the challenges of everyday life, it was crucial that participants possessed effective communication and social skills so as to collaborate harmoniously.

In their pursuit of knowledge, the participants of Y.LEAD visited several locations around Singapore to learn more about IT and smart technology, including but not limited to Citizen Farm, FusionWorld, and EcoTown@Punggol. While these places may differ, they all showcase the different ways in which smart technology is being used to solve problems that have accompanied the rise of smart technology.

As the participants saw how the extensive penetration of technology has drastically changed Man’s way of living, they also had a common takeaway; in the ever-changing modern world which has become even more complex because of technology, the need for good leadership is a permanent constant.

They recognised how leadership would still remain relevant in tomorrow’s world of machines and robots, especially because robots are unable to make good decisions for Mankind, no matter how ‘smart’ they develop to be. They came to a consensus that it was high time for them to rise to the occasion, to face challenges more resolutely and accept changes more readily. This conviction was evident as courageous participants took the initiative to deliver commands to the rest of the student body so that they could complete their mission during the 15 Hour Challenge. The metamorphosis of the participants - from shy and apprehensive individuals to empowered and outspoken budding leaders - was clear and it indicated how Y.LEAD had inspired them.

“A leader must be be able to empathise with the people he is working with and take initiative in doing things,” replied A21, a group of Y.LEAD participants, when asked how Y.Lead had given them a better understanding of leadership. “Sometimes, a task cannot be completed by a sole individual.” Another group, D26, responded, “There must always be someone to take the initiative and get the ball rolling before the team can proceed.”

When asked about their key takeaways from Y.LEAD, participants from several groups claimed that they learnt to better communicate with others, become convincing speakers who are capable of garnering attention from others. D27 gave three of their most memorable takeaways from the event: “One, working with limited resources. Two, effective communication. Three, divide and conquer.”

Y.LEAD started with a bang, ended with a bang, and was full of irreplaceable memories in between. As the event repeats itself every year, RV continues to cultivate its students into the leaders of distinction whom all of us strive to be.