Aaliyah, Achieve

Aaliyah has not only mastered the pan but with help of the Achieve programme honed her skills as an effective leader and team player, with her success resonating in school assessments and her role as house captain.

Aaliyah, 15, is a talented musician who plays pan in two steel bands. ‘I always had a love for music. Pan is a major factor in my life,’ she says. ‘When I started learning it was stressful, but over time, in practising I got better, but at first it was a mess.’

From soloist to team player

Just as Aaliyah has built up her musical skills through hands-on practice, she is now working on her leadership, teamwork communication skills, through the Achieve programme.

Aaliyah has always been happy to step up, speak out and take the lead. But her willingness to speak was not always matched by a willingness to listen. This approach meant that she often found groupwork challenging and frustrating. ‘I used to think that my way was the best way to do things,’ she explains.

The Achieve programme, with its focus on hands-on learning in small groups, has given Aaliyah the chance to boost her skills and practise different approaches, recognising the value of learning from mistakes as well as successes.

Learning from experience

She remembers one chaotic activity where her team was trying to build a tower from marshmallows and toothpicks. ‘At first everybody wanted to be the leader at the same time, so it was everybody voicing opinions, and nobody took the time to listen to others’ opinions. So, it was just a whole mess,’ she recalls. ‘I’ve learnt that having one leader is sometimes useful.’

Instead of vying for control and issuing orders, Aaliyah has now learned to listen, delegate, influence and cooperate, turning her into a more effective leader and a stronger team player. Her progress is immediately visible in her higher scores in school group assessments, and in her role as a house captain, where she is now better able to engage and persuade her schoolmates.

‘I’m trying to get better at leading, dealing with people of all personalities and interacting with people a little better,’ she explains. ‘I am one of the school leaders for my house so the skills have helped in leading and interacting with the house members. I actually could see myself elevating in life with these skills.’