2010: Last Year GCI, in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Living & Learning Programmes, hosted the very 1st, most successful Student Leadership Conference that took place from O at North Campus auditorium. The theme of this leadership conference was: “Changing Student leaders from the ordinary to extra-ordinary Leaders”. Throughout the conference these student leaders called Hakka’s, Mentors as well as GCI-leaders from both George and PE campuses, were empowered with various knowledge, skills and abilities to give them the edge in leading their communities.
The conference focused on critical ethical leadership training and development, emphasizing caring and responsible citizenship, as well as problem-solving, decision making, assertiveness, group dynamics, being a role-model and motivator; and also embracing and managing cultural diversity.The key component of the conference, focused on sensitizing the students as well as staff about caring and respecting our natural environment and the role that they as partners of GCI can play, throughout 2011 and beyond, in building this legacy of preserving our environment.
Valuable partnerships were formed between GCI and our prominent speakers that included the likes of Prof Bert Olivier, Dr Hanna Van Lingen, Mr Pieter Swart, Mr Johan Van Niekerk, Dr Jennifer Winstead, Dr Sarie Snyders as well as our keynote speaker, Prof Christo Van Loggerenberg.
I believe that this strategy proved to be a mo st important and successful component and this conference laid the foundation that we built on in 2011.