The former England and Leicester City footballer Dion Dublin will be joining teenage students taking part in the groundbreaking personal development course hosted by Warwickshire Police. Now in its sixth year, the Natural Born Leaders programme, which is hosted by Warwickshire Police and supported by local agencies and businesses, gets under way on Monday, February 13.
Designed to teach young people key leadership skills to enable them to develop their true potential, the week long course provides opportunities to develop skills including decision making, conflict resolution, team work and also communication and presentation skills to prepare them for their future role in life.
A total of 25 teenagers aged between 16 and 18 years from across Warwickshire will be taking part in the Natural Born Leaders programme which is committed to engaging with young people from all backgrounds, especially those from minority communities where there may be less opportunities to develop communication and leadership skills.
The emphasis of the course is to bring out the abilities and natural strengths of those taking part, to enable them to develop their potential, through a range of experiences and learning opportunities.
Based at North Leamington School, the students follow a range of activities including classroom-based learning, but will also spend a day with the Ministry of Defence in Staffordshire where activities focus on team building experiences.
During the week they also spend time with Warwickshire Police to learn about different aspects of policing, including the dog section, firearms, crime investigation and visiting the custody suite at the South Warwickshire Justice Centre.
The end of the week is marked by a ceremony where those who have completed receive their highly prized leadership certificates, which this year will be presented by Warwickshire Police Chief Constable Andy Parker.
As well as local dignitaries, family and friends, the awards ceremony will this year also see a number of special guests who have been invited to share their own experiences and explain how they have been motivated to achieve the success they have.
Former professional footballer, and Sky TV commentator Dion Dublin, together with Lance Corporal Simranjit Singh from the Royal Corps of Signals, who during his distinguished army career was the first Sikh to carry out public duties including guarding the Queen at Buckingham Palace and the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London and Shiban Akbar from the Muslim Council of Britain where she works on community and inter-faith work in her role as Chair of the Social Affairs Committee have been invited to talk about their own experiences and to show how they have achieved their own success by using the skills like those developed while on the Natural Born Leaders course.
The Natural Born Leaders course is delivered by a small team from the Warwickshire Police workforce, who have given up their own time to design the course.
“Natural Born Leaders provides opportunities for young people who may not have access to positive role models in their lives. Although the course is open to all young people the focus on those from minority groups who traditionally do not have the same access to development opportunities.” Explained Junaid Gharda, Head of Strategic Planning with Warwickshire Police, who has been involved with Natural Born Leaders in Warwickshire since it started.
