On 15 September the first ever Student Leadership Conference took place at Milestone. The event was not a one-way conveyance of knowledge- and information, but a session of common thinking; students brainstormed together with Milestone staff about how they could become the best leaders they can be.
In the morning, Student Council members and Deputy Head of Teaching and Learning János Hódsági conferred about the importance of the Council, and the responsibilities of elected representatives, while Student Life Coordinator Eszter Jókay held a calendar-planning workshop. Eszter was impressed by the students’ contribution: “Our motive was to equip student leaders with the necessary skills to become strong leaders, and to create and sustain the democratic structures and processes within Student Leadership. Student leaders gave evidence of a great sense of responsibility, and of a willingness to make the most of the possibilities coming with their positions.”
The afternoon was opened by Milestone founder and CEO Daniel Léderer, who explained how Milestone’s values appear in andsupport efficient leadership: “Pursuing the common good, leading through excellence, humility and integrity, crossing borders, being creative and innovative, rooting future in tradition, and having a sense of humour and a healthy amount of mischief are not just marginal notes, but they are the fundamentals of everything we do – especially for students already in leadership roles.”
Leadership skills were put to a test by a Lego castle-building task facilitated by Deputy Head of Junior Year Ágnes Horváth, which was followed by a practical session on event organising and communication led by Eszter Jókay and PR and Communication Officer Zoltán Ranschburg.
The closing session of the conference was dedicated to the leaders of student organisations (Societies and Clubs), who – with thefacilitation of Daniel and Eszter – discussed the goals and objectives of student organisations, and drafted their plans for the year.
“I ran for both of my current positions so that I can give something back to Milestone of what I got there. The most important to me is the community spirit: to create something together, to organise common events; to feel that we are Milestone”- Model United Nations Society president and Junior Social Officer Emma Somos said, who was particularly happy about having a chance to familiarize with Milestone’s values.
As Welfare Officer of the Junior year, Tea Tóth’s role is not organising events (but to act as first point of contact for students who would discuss academic or general matters related to Milestone), but she still highlighted the event planning session of the conference: “it is useful to know how we can help our fellow Social Officers” – she explained. “The skills we learnt at the Conference will be incredibly useful later on as well; at school, at university, and in everyday situations, too.”
As Daniel Léderer concluded: “It was highly inspiring to see what the Milestone community is capable of when working together driven by common goals and values. The first Student Leadership Conference was definitely not the last; I feel this was the beginning of something great”.