Curley Notre Dame students take part in two leadership training programs

By Lisa Morales - Archbishop Curley Notre Dame HS

MIAMI | Students from Archbishop Curley Notre Dame Prep recently participated in two events that help foster leadership skills.

On Sept. 25 and 26, students representing grades 9 to 12 participated in the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews' Student Voices: Training Inclusive Leaders program held at St. Thomas University. Currently, ACND is the only Archdiocese of Miami Catholic School that participates in this program. The other participating schools represented Miami-Dade public schools. The training's objective is to empower high school students to explore cultural diversity and develop self-esteem, while fostering values that support the understanding of individual differences. The program is designed to help reduce bullying, intimidation, cliques, taunting and harassment in the classroom.

ACND has been involved in the MCCJ program for the past four years. This past summer, some students also participated in the MCCJ's MetroTown, a six-day summer program for local teens with five curricular strands: leadership, community, conflict resolution, diversity training, and civic engagement.

ACND's Coordinator of Student Services and Campus Minister, Christian Brother Jason Ford, serves as the school's Trust Counselor. The MCCJ equips school staff with the necessary skills, knowledge and curriculum to deliver Student Voices Training to their students, helping to foster safer and more inclusive school communities.

The weekend of Oct. 5 and 6, another group of students from ACND traveled to St. John's, Fla. to attend the ACTION Student Leadership Workshop. Students from schools staffed by the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America and Latin America gather annually for training that focuses on leadership development, advocacy, community building, and communication among the schools.

"The fact that these two events, MCCJ Training and ACTION, took place in the same week helped introduce ACND students to the larger Miami area, the larger Edmund Rice Christian Brother network of schools both in the North and South America, and to a larger Church," said Brother Ford. "These two programs highlight several aspects of the Essential Elements of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother Education by promoting advocacy for those without a voice and respecting and treating with dignity all whom we encounter, especially within our own community."