You know how we hear “Student Led” quite a lot these days?

I’ve been pondering this, because it seems to hold some inherent tensions. Quite a few, if I’m to be honest.  It might boil down to a simple fact: that schools are adult-designed (and directed) institutions trying to simulate student autonomy. 

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One of the tensions lies in how much structure is given. Too much structure might not feel very student-led. Too little structure might lead to confusion, inequity, surface-level work and even stress for the students.  

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Another tension that comes to me is this: “Student-led” might unintentionally favour certain learners. Confident, articulate, organized students tend to thrive while students who need more support may struggle with open-ended autonomy. Is this okay? Do we give these confident, articulate students a chance to really shine and that’s what leadership means? Are all types of students included in building leadership skills? I don’t have the answer…it’s just something I’ve been thinking about. 

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What got me thinking about this? 

Well, it’s the BRIDGE TO IMPACT Changemaker Conference that’s happening at IS Düsseldorf, March 5-7. It’s the fourth Changemaker’s conference that Make A Difference Courses will be involved with, featuring Docathon -  students telling purposeful stories from their local communities and sharing them with the world via 3-6 minute documentary films. 

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Here’s what went down at the 2025 Changemakers Conference in Budapest: 

                          _{A sneak peek into what went down at Docathon Global held in American International School of Budapest (AISB), 2025}

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It’s a student-led conference, and each year I am amazed at how the delicate balance of structure and guidance is navigated, and how students with a variety of personalities and skillsets all can shine. I have learned a lot from working with both the adults who are involved and the students that are leading: there is not always an obvious path, where everybody knows exactly their role and their course of action, BUT, what is super clear to me is that students get a chance to PRACTICE leadership, in a structured environment. I think that’s critical if we want to grow leadership in our student body. 

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Here are some examples of growth in leadership skills within structure that I’ve seen in working with Jonah, a student from IS Krakow, who will be delivering a workshop at the Changemaker’s Conference based on his experience with Docathon. 

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He’ll be sharing his journey from not even knowing what topic he wanted to focus on, to his “AHA” moment, and then the realisation that stories are all around us, waiting to be told. He hopes to inspire other students to look around, see the untold stories, and then to become purposeful storytellers who  inspire and motivate others to change the world for the better. Here are some words from this young storyteller and budding leader:

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On the process of creating his film, and the workshop itself - and the intentional and ethical use of AI

On self-awareness - not only in cutting his film down to the requisite 3-6 minutes, but in planning the delivery of his workshop at the conference: 

On planning and responsibility:

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These insights and observations from Jonah give me a clearer picture of how  “student led” can truly work for students and be meaningful despite the inherent tensions I talked about before.

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I am grateful for the students leading the Changemaker’s Conference at ISD for the opportunities they are taking for themselves to grow in the area of leadership, and also for the opportunities they have created for other students to practice leadership skills. 

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Here’s what you can expect at the 2026 Changemakers Conference in Düsseldorf, Germany: 

                                                                                        ^{BRIDGE TO IMPACT – Changemakers Conference 2026}‍

                                                    ^{March 5–7, 2026 | 📍International School of Düsseldorf | Düsseldorf, Germany}

And a shoutout to Inspire Citizens’ Sophie Peccaud for offering an ISD training session for student presenters: Leading a Changemaker Workshop. It takes a village, and this village of students and educators leads me to believe that we can overcome the tensions inherent in student leadership to bring meaningful opportunities to grow in leadership skills. 

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