“Our Boys. Their Future.
Learning to Lead.”
The International Boys School Coalition Annual Conference (IBSC)
July 8-11, 2018
The Southport School, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
The Chapel and School House at The Southport School
By Michael A. Imbelli with Lillian Díaz Imbelli
T
his past summer, Saint David’s offered a wonderful
opportunity to attend the IBSC Annual Conference;
the theme was “Our Boys. Their Future. Learning
to Lead.” The last conference I attended was in 2015 held
in Cape Town, South Africa. The theme then was “Lessons
from Madiba.” The keynote speaker was Archbishop
Desmond Tutu who, along with others, shared his personal
reflections on the iconic South African leader, Nelson
Mandela. Hearing South Africans reflect on the lessons
imparted by a man the world recognizes as a great leader
left an indelible impression and played no small part in
contributing to the lessons learned this year, making them
equally impactful.
IBSC defines leadership in its conference brochure as
“influencing others for the good and betterment of the
group.” It goes on to state, “The key to becoming an effective
leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on
making yourself the kind of person they want to follow.”
14 • Saint David’s Magazine
Without question, Nelson Mandela walked this talk and this
year’s conference underscored this message throughout its
vibrant program. I feel blessed to be in a school that values
character and religious education so that our students are
guided and empowered with the skills to lead themselves
first. The goal, of course, is that “they be good men.” Once
again, both the lessons from Madiba and the theme of this
year’s conference remind us that leadership “requires a good
understanding of self and an understanding of others.” Saint
David’s curriculum is rich with opportunities to develop
first as an individual and ultimately as a leader. Whether
the boys are doing good works in service to others, learning
about cultures and time periods outside of their own, visiting
Spain or Italy to learn about and from others, expressing
their unique creativity musically or artistically, learning
to value and respect their health, bodies, and each other,
we are giving them the tools to lead themselves first. Our
new facilities complement our curriculum and its various