At the start of the year, student leaders are full of energy and big ideas. This is the perfect time to build momentum by fostering trust and intrinsic motivation—helping them stay engaged and confident in their leadership roles. When students feel valued, empowered, and supported, they are more likely to take initiative and sustain their enthusiasm throughout the year.

This edition is all about practical ways to harness that early energy, build trust, and create meaningful leadership opportunities that keep students engaged.

Give them an early win

One of the best ways to keep student leaders motivated is to give them a quick, achievable win early in the year. When students see the impact of their leadership straight away, it builds confidence and sets a positive tone for the rest of the year.

Consider starting with small but meaningful leadership opportunities, such as:
✔ Speaking at an assembly
✔ Running a short icebreaker or reflection activity in a meeting
✔ Joining a staff meeting for a short segment to share student perspectives
✔ Welcoming new students or running a tour for visitors

These quick wins create momentum, helping students believe in their ability to lead and take on bigger responsibilities as the year progresses.

🎯 Yellow Arrow Workshops: Helping Students Step Up

Want to start the year with a bang? Our workshops are designed to give student leaders the confidence, skills, and motivation to take action. Whether your students need a boost in momentum or strategies for stepping up, we tailor our sessions to meet their needs.

Check out our workshops

From our blog

Student leader meetings should be inspiring, not just another obligation! This blog shares five simple yet effective ways to make your meetings more interactive, productive, and engaging—helping students stay motivated and take action.

5 ideas to make student leader meetings more engaging

Read blog

Activity Toolbox

A simple icebreaker that will encourage students to mingle is the handshake builder. Start by asking students to get into pairs and come up with a short unique handshake. Then ask them to find a new partner and add the two "handshake" moves together. Repeat this process once or twice more and then encourage students to share their final results!

KevinMorris83 💙

The Parent Trap (1998) "Handshake Scene"| #fyp #foryou #theparenttrap #linsaylohan #90sthrowback #1998 #90sdisneymovies #moviescene #nostalgia #movieclips

♬ original sound - KevinMorris83 💙

For the bookshelf

Keen to encourage your students' love of learning? Share short excerpts from leadership books as part of your meetings!

Atomic Habits reveals how small, consistent actions can create remarkable results over time, offering practical strategies to build good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to lasting change.

Here are some quotes from the book:

"Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become."

"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

"Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement."

"Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it."

Meet our team!

We have a wonderful group of facilitators who deliver our programs. For this edition we will be spotlighting Melrose!

It is Melrose’s belief that all students have the potential to be ‘great’ leaders with the right mentorship and the right mindset. As a pre-service teacher with a real student-centred focus and a can-do attitude, Melrose has had many experiences supporting students to be their best unabashed selves on both an individual and team level.

Join our free teacher community!

Professional learning is best when it is done as part of a community (at least we think so). This is why we have created agogue, our learning and development community for professionals who support the development, and potential of young leaders.

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