27 April 2009

Training to Assist Students to Be Capable Hall Leaders/Assistant Hall Leaders

Hall Leader/Assistant Hall Leader Training Session

By Shirley Ghozalli. Edited by Moira Blake.

IPC Hall Leaders and Assistant Hall Leaders participating in the off-campus training together with IPC staff members, Aidan Wood (front row, second from the left), and Yuka Tomita (back row, second from the right)

Cooking dinner together in Swan House, IPC Campus

Twice a year, IPC provides opportunities for students to apply to be Hall Leaders (HL) or Assistant Hall Leaders (AHL) and be in charge of the 10 Halls of Residence at IPC. Being an HL/AHL means better accommodation for the same fee but also greater responsibilities. The students holding these positions are expected to be able to support residence and to help resolve residential issues in their halls. That is why in the selection phase, each candidate applying for the positions must provide references, have good marks in their studies and be active in clubs and in the student community.

The training is considered necessary to assist HLs and AHLs to work as a team. During the 4-day-long training session the students are put into new environments and different situations that require them to solve problems, communicate and cooperate with one another. Organized by Student Support staff members, Hall Leader/Assistant Hall Leader (HL/AHL) Training Sessions have taken place every year except 2008.

For this year, the organisers, Yuka Tomita and Aidan Wood, held the Hall Leader/Assistant Hall Leader (HL/AHL) Training Session from Monday 6th April till Thursday 9th April for the newly selected hall leaders and assistant hall leaders. The session was divided into 2 parts: off campus and on campus training.

On the first day, the participants went through a briefing of the rules at IPC and the roles of HL and AHL. Late in the evening, they were taken outside IPC to a camp area in Woodville. They made a campsite and stayed there for a night and a day, learning how to survive outdoor life and how to build a team and stay as a team. They returned to IPC on the evening of the second day.

After that, the session continued with on campus training, including a night staying at Swan House. They learnt how to do basic first aid, to use fire extinguishers and fire hose reels, what to do in an earthquake, and how to help maintain a good environment in the Halls of Residence. Basic interpersonal skills such as informal counselling and running a residents' meeting were also part of the training.

"It was a great way to take part in a unique outdoor team building training and (I had) a lot of fun. I gained a lot of new knowledge and skills from this leadership-training programme. They all support me to be confident in my role as a Hall Leader," said one of the participants, Vania Hermanto (a 2007 student from Indonesia).

Student Support staff member, Yuka Tomita, commented, "This year, we had non-IPC organisers for the off-campus over night session. Todd, Wade and Allan were brilliant and I have enjoyed the team building and confidence course. I have discovered so many different characteristics of the leaders through this course."

"I'm not an outdoor person myself but this experience made me realise how we can become closer by doing something together outside of our comfort zone!!...I can see the strong bond between those Leaders who attended this course." finished Yuka.

<Back  |  ^Top