EMPOWERING STUDENT LEADERS THROUGH AFFINITY GROUPS
When it comes to leadership skill development, I’ ve noticed that affinity groups often default to presenting slideshows during assemblies— not because they’ re particularly excited about this format, but simply because it’ s what they know and have seen others do. They haven’ t always been encouraged to think outside the box or reimagine what leadership and peer engagement could look like. Without a push to explore new approaches, these presentations tend to follow a familiar pattern: a collection of culturally relevant facts and figures, a discussion on current events, and a game to wrap it up. After seeing similar presentations year after year, both students and faculty have expressed that while these assemblies are important, they’ ve started to feel repetitive and in need of fresh energy.
“ There was a general and reasonable fear expressed by the students, regardless of what affinity they belonged to— if they didn’ t talk about the hard things and the wide range of current events that mattered to their people, then no one would.”
With this feedback in mind, I brought all of the student affinity leaders together for a conversation about affinity group presentations at the beginning of the school year. I encouraged them to get creative, think big, and most importantly, allow themselves to center joy. There was a general and reasonable fear expressed by the students, regardless of what affinity they belonged to— if they didn’ t talk about the hard things and the wide range of current events that mattered to their people, then no one would. They believed this presentation was their one chance to share their truths and understood this to be their opportunity to deliver something impactful and powerful. Each affinity group declared that they would like to move forward with their regularly scheduled presentations, and I sent them on their way, again, with a nugget of inspiration.
As the year got underway, the Native American Affinity presentation was up first. As the faculty advisor for this affinity group, I challenged the students to reimagine what this presentation could be. It was clear to me and the students that the exploration of cultural traditions and values was still valuable. Another important element for the students was to highlight the modern experiences of Native American peoples, demystifying the idea that we are only historical beings. With these goals in mind and the nudge to think big, the students ideated around different approaches. From panel discussions to movie showings, dances, and even a comedian, the students were excited about the possibilities and agreed upon a direction forward.
With vision, preparation, and determination, the affinity group crafted a compel-
Continues on page 20
CSEE Connections Summer 2025 Page 19