Write@Home
Winter 2015

Community

Leadership concept using blue paper ship among white

My name is Edison Z., originally from Namibia. Two years ago, my community came together in Edmonton to decide on electing leaders for our community association. I was elected into the position as a vice president of the association. I did not have much experience in leadership, but due to my friendliness, helpfulness and my passion to help others in times of need, I was elected, which left me with no options but to accept the position. I did not refuse despite knowing the challenge.

As a community leader, I am responsible to promote our organisation in Canada, with the objective of preserving and enhancing our Namibian heritage among members and the Canadians at large. Our association is currently spearheading major Namibian – Canadian activities. According to the Namibian Canadian Association, “Our mission is to provide outstanding leadership and assistance while promoting and preserving our Namibian culture.”

As mentioned before, I had little understanding of my culture, but through my leadership I gained knowledge in it. For example, as a leader I need to help organize events, so when I was assisting, I learned a lot from preparing for the events because we did not have the help of the elders as we would back home. What I like most about being a community leader is the experience that you gain through understanding the leadership structure, communication skills in terms of executive meetings and helping others in time of need.

The challenges of being a community leader is sometimes I feel I have to take on many responsibilities of my people. For example, I had to help and comfort people through a difficult situation and other challenges. Other times, I have had to help bring people together when there is an event and organize the details to make it a successful one. Also scheduling a meeting that is convenient for all leaders across Canada can be difficult because everyone may have other commitments.

The benefits of being a community leader are the exposure and experience that you gain throughout the process. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate leadership outside of work and also to be on a board of directors of a non-profit.

In conclusion, we should work together through giving back to the community because community is everything. I will leave you with this quote “The way to change the world is through individual responsibility and taking local action in your own community.” By Jeff Bridges