Good Leadership starts with Good Communication

Feb 09, 2017

SANDAKAN: Good news for all youth leaders in the Diocese of Sandakan! The Youth Leaders’ Camp (YLC) will return with the theme taken from the Gospel of Luke 1:49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name. This theme was announced by the Holy Father, Pope Francis for World Youth Day 2017.

This will be the fifth time, since the diocese was established, that they will be organising this programme. YLC-4 was held in St Martin, Telupid in 2015 and it has now come full circle. There was no programme in 2016 because of the 4th Sabah Youth Day, and the Youth Leaders’ Camp will now be held in the parish of St Mary Sandakan March 8-12. The programme will be organised by the Diocesan Commission for Youth Apostolate (CBC), in collaboration with the Parish Youth Apostolate (PYA).

In preparation for the event, Sr Maria Dipas RGS held a Communications session for the 16 organisers of the YCL-5.

The session began with an opening prayer, followed by a greeting or Namaste which means “My soul honours your soul,” and each person had to meet and greet each other with the words Salam Namaste. Sr Maria then asked each of the participants to reflect on these questions: What abilities do I have? What is my character? What is my job in this organisation?

In the same session, Sr Maria stressed that “communication is important in the organisation of a programme. But to be able to be a good communicator, we must first know ourselves. When we have self-awareness, then we will be able to communicate better which, in turn, will help us to become a successful and good leader.” People have different opinions and ideas and this can lead to misunderstandings. It is only by “talking, listening, receiving and exchanging opinions” that solutions can be be found.

Next, Sr Maria took the leaders through an activity called “My Relationship Map,” to find out how they communicate with their members. Each team leader had to meet and speak with each member of their team and, through this interaction, they would be able to learn the best way to communicate. Before the session ended, Sr Maria emphasised the importance of communication, not only for the programme, but also in our daily lives.

The session ended with a closing prayer and a group photo. -- Newupdatedospo