We CU Spotlight: Team Leader Training

Each semester, We CU offers a limited number of opportunities for students to volunteer to be the team leader on their service projects. We CU team leaders manage their service project, act as the liaison between the student team and the community partner, support the team, and help to foster collaboration and camaraderie among the team members. Student teams have varied in size from two to twenty members, while most teams have around three or four students involved.

Team leaders are often chosen for their flexibility and willingness to facilitate communication across a variety of platforms. The Team Leader Training was developed to give less-experienced leaders the tools they need to support their teams and manage their projects.

Abigail McGuire, a freshman in political science, is a team leader for a project with Unity in Action Magazine. She works with a team of nine other students. While the training is required for team leaders, Abigail looked forward to the learning experience. “I thought it would be helpful in gaining some insight on how to properly manage the role,” she said.

The Team Leader Training prepares participants for the immediate duties of the position, like project management, time management, and communication. The training also encourages participants to foster a sense of community and connection among team members and even to encourage members of their team to develop and expand their skill sets. While we hope that teams will not experience problems, situations and conflicts can arise. The training introduces strategies for resolving conflict that any member of a group might consider using.

This fall, the training was opened to all We CU participants. As a result, many students are taking the Team Leader Training this semester even though they are not serving in leadership roles within We CU. More than half of the students who registered for the Fall 2021 Team Leader Training indicated that they wanted to learn skills to improve teamwork and leadership abilities or to explore the possibility of being a team leader in the future.

Mia Salas, a first-year graduate student in the Department of Communication, is one of these students. Mia is working with the Education Justice Project to identify obstacles that formerly incarcerated people can expect to encounter at the University of Illinois, as well as where can these individuals can expect to find support. “I decided to engage in the We CU Team Leader Training to learn more about the values of We CU,” they explained. “I'm interested in becoming more involved with the Champaign-Urbana community as a leader. I thought this would provide the perfect opportunity to do so!”

Since Mia expressed an interest in future leadership opportunities, we asked if they thought the training offered some preparation for those roles. Mia shared, “I absolutely believe that the team leader training will help me to be better equipped in facing leadership challenges. The training highlighted multiple important facets of what it means to be a leader, including strong communication skills, team relational development, and how to collaborate effectively with community organizations.”

Abigail also found the training helpful. “I definitely think that the training helped with not only conquering obstacles in our specific service projects but also in day-to-day life. Knowing how to lead is an important skill to have, as it is more than just leading. It is working with and for others to reach a common goal. This training highlighted the idea of working together in a way that is beneficial for future internships, jobs, careers, and life.”  

There is still time for We CU participants to take the Fall 2021 Team Leader Training. If you are interested in completing it, view and register for the Fall 2021 Team Leader Training GivePulse event for a link to the recording and the opportunity to add an impact. New to We CU? Join our GivePulse Group today.