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Educational Excellence

Projects as Leadership Opportunities

Projects offer an enticement to many
members because of the prospect of
assisting others. These projects may
be as large as the DKG international
projects of Schools for Africa and
Supporting Early-Career Educators
(SEE) or as small as a local collection
of mittens for Head Start students.
Each project presents members with a
chance to take a leadership role. In a
society of women with a multitude of
interests, projects provide a platform for
advancement of a member’s interests as
well as talents. A particular project can
be where a member’s passions lie, and
she can combine with other like-minded
members to accomplish a goal or fill a
void that needs attention.

Summary Thoughts on Programs and Projects

Programs and projects actively engage members. Through support of
fundraising and volunteer efforts, scholarships and grants-in-aid, mentoring, and
international projects, members demonstrate their commitment to the Society and
each other. Leadership skills develop through each interaction. As expressed by a
DKG member,
One of the things I love about my DKG membership is the opportunity to
participate in various projects. It is a wonderful thing to see a chapter member
take the lead in a particular project because she is passionate about that.
Likewise, when a chapter member presents a program and her enthusiasm
for the topic is evident, others see that she can make things happen. She is
a leader! Engaging members through presenting programs and heading up
projects makes them more eager to be involved with the group as a whole.

A Story of Leadership and Assistance
After a devastating hurricane hit Puerto Rico in September 2017, communities
were faced with many challenges. Not surprisingly, leaders of DKG made their
presence known. A former Puerto Rico state organization president recounts:
Leadership was a learning experience after Hurricane María. It immersed
our organization to work from different levels. It gave us the opportunities
to support not only to the members of DKG Puerto Rico but also the
community in general. Serving others gave the local leaders in our chapters
the opportunity to identify where our help was needed according to our
possibilities. Leadership was evident from our sisters in the main DKG
organizations in states such as Vermont, Maryland, Mississippi, and Texas
that joined our post-María recovery projects.

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