Secondary schools come together for special Armed Forces Network event at Craiglockhart
Leadership skills were to the fore last week (28 August) at a special Armed Forces Network event at Edinburgh Napier’s Craiglockhart campus.
More than 55 pupils from Firhill High School, St Columba’s High School and Craigroyston High School attended the Youth Leadership Day event which saw the young people take part in a variety of activities that looked at the development of leadership skills and the qualities required to be a leader.
In the morning, Edinburgh Napier student Captain Hugh MacKay (Army Reservist) hosted a panel discussion joined by Officer Cadets from University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron.
The panel shared their own experiences of armed forces training while they study alongside highlighting the benefits that it brings to their academic and personal life.
After a series of breakout rooms to reflect on their own experiences of leadership facilitated by HQ 51 Infantry Brigade and Army HQ Scotland, the school pupils were then invited to undertake a number of command tasks outside with the session led by Lt. Colonel Hugo Clark, Chief Engagement, Outreach and Communications Officer and Captain Robert Mendes da Costa, AGC (ETS), SO3 Engt Plans.
The various tasks all had a leadership and team working focus, with the young people undertaking several problem-solving activities – from navigating a blindfolded teammate through a maze of cones (mines) to getting a ball on a cone without dropping and touching it and more.
The event was organised by Edinburgh Napier’s Armed Forces Network with support from Jake Wales within the University’s School Outreach team. The staff-student support network is co-led by Claire Biggar (Wellbeing and Inclusion team), Dr Gary Kerr (Business School), Prof Gerri Matthews-Smith (Director of Edinburgh Napier’s Centre for Military Research, Education & Public Engagement) and Captain Hugh Mackay (student within the School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment).
This year’s event was held on the final day of Identity, Purpose and Belonging: The First Scottish International Conference on Armed Forces Research in Society which was also held at Edinburgh Napier’s Craiglockhart campus.
The conference welcomed delegates from all around the world for a jam-packed week of thought-provoking speakers, military-inspired music, book launches, networking, discussion and more.
The conference and the Youth Leadership Day event was supported by Edinburgh Napier's Centre for Military Research, Education & Public Engagement (CMREPE) which is situated within the University’s Business School.
Edinburgh Napier’s Claire Biggar said: “It was a fantastic day as we welcomed a number of S6 pupils on to campus to learn about the importance of leadership skills and to get a chance to hone their own.
“The command tasks held on the lawn at Craiglockhart is always a highlight of this event. It’s great fun with a serious message - leadership and teamwork is important in any walk of life.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to the Schools that joined us, and to our neighbours from HQ 51 Infantry Brigade for giving up their time to lead a number of the sessions. They do a fantastic job in getting young people to believe in their abilities alongside creating a fun and informative atmosphere on the day itself. This is the second year we have hosted the event and we are pleased HQ 51 Infantry Brigade have taken this model and built their own outreach activity around it. This shows strong collaborative links between the University and the Brigade of which we are very proud to have created and nurtured.”
More information on Edinburgh Napier’s Armed Forces Network can be found here.