Wisconsin ASSOCIATION of School Councils

WASC's Impact Goes International

Introducing the Northern Lights International Leadership Academy

Written by Erin Pease, WASC Alumna

Sweden is about to launch a new non-profit program that will shape leaders' lives worldwide. It’s called the Northern Lights International Leadership Academy and it’s founded by the WASC’s very own Kenneth Jenkins. He attended camp as a delegate and it had a long-lasting impact on him. 

“It was the single most significant learning experience of my life to date. It was really the second night through boundary-breaking and through the relocation of a self as a member of a community of human beings who all carry their challenges inside,” said Jenkins.

While the new program is rooted in similar concepts to the WASC, Jenkins saw a need for leadership training as he continued to travel to various offices for work. He felt like there was a large gap in the skills he had received at WASC’s Leadership Camp that others had not gotten the opportunity to obtain.

NLILA is partnering with the WASC to break down similar activities and use them from students to adults because he truly believes that we can never stop transforming as leaders. Many of these activities will be hybrid in order to reach as many future leaders as possible.

“We really want to find where we can apply some emphasis in these lessons that do bring through that kind of magic that you experienced at camp, you know, through little demonstrations to engaging interactive activities so that we are continuing to issue that message that we're all in this together,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins and his board have planned the project in stages that will hopefully lead up to a leadership camp similar to the WASC’s in the near future. He would love to see the camp work for adults and students alike. All in all, he wants NLILA’s message to be one that stays strong as the program moves forward.

“With my personal experience, learning from ancient indigenous cultures that have carried through their values, shows me that life is bigger than Ken Jenkins. It's bigger than any I or me. It is a we. It is a we of generations. It is a we of people we will never meet, but it matters what we do,” said Jenkins.

If you would like to learn more about NLILA and its journey, be on the lookout for their website and other materials launching soon. Jenkins says you can be a supporter of NLILA by helping cover some of the costs of their programs and materials, but ultimately embracing your own leadership training and spreading the word!

“We all have a gift to give, and none of us can do everything. So we need each other to work together.”

Learn more at www.nlila.org.