Year 10 Rising Leaders Deliver Coaching Clinic at St Michael’s Catholic Primary School

On Friday, 2 May, our Year 10 Rising Leaders students had the opportunity to deliver a sports coaching clinic to the enthusiastic Year 5 and 6 students at St Michael’s Catholic Primary School. The younger students were very excited to welcome our group.

The Rising Leaders Program, developed by the Stephen Michael Foundation, is a school-based leadership and wellbeing initiative that empowers students through sport. The program focuses on developing leadership capabilities, social-emotional skills, and encouraging community engagement.

At the heart of the program are four key pillars:

• Leadership Development: Activities help students build communication, teamwork, and decision-making skills.

• Wellbeing Focus: Emphasis is placed on emotional regulation, resilience and problem-solving.

• Cultural and Social Inclusion: The sessions promote respect and cultural responsiveness.

• Practical Application: Students put their skills into action through real-world experiences like coaching clinics, umpiring and event planning.

  
  

Friday’s clinic was a fantastic example of these skills in action. Our Mercy students embraced the chance to step into leadership roles, and it was clear from the smiles and energy of the St Michael’s students that the session was both fun and impactful.

As our students continue through the program, they will soon take on the challenge of planning and delivering a full event from start to finish.

After the clinic, Ijah Coyle from the Stephen Michael Foundation sat down with the St Michael’s students to gather feedback. The students shared that they had lots of fun, found the Mercy students very helpful, and enjoyed the activities. Their only suggestions for improvement were to speak a little louder and explain some instructions more clearly—great feedback for our rising leaders to take on board.

A big thank you to the students and staff of St Michael’s Catholic Primary School for warmly welcoming us into your beautiful school.

Please scroll down to read some feedback from our students.

“The Rising Leaders Coaching Clinic was a great opportunity to work together with my peers and come up with a fun and interesting way to coach netball, as well as create a memorable experience for both the primary school kids and us at Mercy.”

— Dakota (Year 10)

“It was an experience — from arriving, being so nervous, to getting to meet the kids and being involved. The time we had was cut short, meaning some of the activities were reconsidered to suit the time frame. We were the warm-up group and went from Doctor Dodgeball to regular Dodgeball. Some of the other activities followed us in changing their sessions slightly. The children were always engaged and ready for a challenge. Some were even shouting group names such as 'GirlyPops' and 'ChickenJockey'. I found this to be the best part about them — they were a small group, yet had so much potential. They didn’t say 'no' to anything. Heads held high and positive attitudes in the clouds — they were an amazing bunch.”

— Eloise (Year 10)

“It was really fun to help teach the kids new skills, but also to join in the activities.”

— Brooke (Year 10)