Dedimus Potestatem is an organization that recognizes the importance of leadership and how to foster leadership skills, so when we learned about them, we knew that we had to share their story!
Dedimus Potestatem was founded by Amanda Sawyer and was inspired by her passion for empowerment. Sawyer studied International Politics at Oxford University and Leadership Development at Columbia Business School. Through her work with schools, startups and involvement in politics, Sawyer discovered that the way to ensure the best world for future generations was to teach them how to empower themselves and others by equipping them with the leadership skills most coveted in an interdependent globalized society. After all, for our non-Latin-speaking readers (that’s us too!), “Dedimus Potestatem” translates to “We have given the Power.”
Dedimus Potestatem offers leadership and business development courses for NGO’s, small businesses, and educational organizations. But what we absolutely love are its educational programs geared towards schools. Dedimus Potestatem believes that leadership skills should be an integral part of education so that your little ones and bigger kids can learn to be leaders from an early age (and we’re 100% with them on that one!).
One of Dedimus Potestatem’s most popular programs is Leadership. Having designed an activity-based syllabus to engage kiddos, the course uses fun games and projects to develop the most admired character traits of leaders. Students will learn about presentation, communication, negotiation, delegation, adaptability, dispute resolution, initiative, critical thinking, preparation and time management, organization and goal development, and empathy. Wow, that’s a lot! But there’s a lot that goes into providing students with the confidence and knowledge they need to be great leaders.
The Speech & Debate course seeks to prepare students for presentations. Speaking skills provide the foundation for excellent communication down the road when one day, your adult kids are interviewing for a job or presenting an idea. For example, Stanford University did a study that found that 60% of Congressional Representatives participated in debate, as well as at least a third of the Supreme Court. Students learn impromptu speech, informative speech, persuasive speech, and parliamentary debate.
For your history-loving, politics-obsessed kids, there’s Mock Trial! Through a hands-on simulation of the American judicial system, students learn about legal concepts, court etiquette and vocab, case analysis, examinations, and openings and closings. Even if your kids haven’t expressed an interest in law, this course is a great way to practice communication, develop leadership qualities, and gain an understanding of their civic responsibilities.
Your little ones don’t have to miss out on the fun because Dedimus Potestatem has a program for pre-k and kindergarten, Little Leaders which cultivates early leadership skills using a play-based approach. Kids learn about manners, tolerance, empathy, adaptability, initiative, how to deal with conflict, permission and boundaries, soft skills for playdates, sleepovers, and in the classroom, travel etiquette, phone calls, helping parents around the house (you’re welcome!), and so much more.
Anyone can be a leader, so make sure that your kids have the necessary skills in their pocket with Dedimus Potestatem.
Interested in bringing Dedimus Potestatem to your school or group of friends? Dedimus Potestatem partners with schools and offers group classes outside of school as well as in-home lessons. For more information, email info@potestatem.co.
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