Key Leader extends global reach

Students give a shout out for service leadership
during a recent Key Leader event in Malaysia.

Key Leader, Kiwanis’ innovative youth-leadership development program, has stretched its global reach to Malaysia. Here, local Kiwanians and previous Key Leader graduates recently conducted two Key Leader events:

• Southern Key Leader, organized by the Kiwanis Club of Johore Bahru, attracted 33 participants. Three of five student facilitators were Key Leader graduates.

• Central Key Leader, organized by the Kiwanis Club of Kuala Lumpur, drew 35 participants, and all six student facilitators were previous Key Leader graduates.

“Southern Key Leader was a great event with wonderful weather,” reports K. H. Wan, Malaysia District Key Leader chairman.

Central Key Leader also was wildly successful, he adds. “The campfire was washed out by rain, but it did not dampen the young people’s spirits and we continued the skits, songs, and dances indoors.”

The next Malaysia Key Leader weekend is set for November. The district’s goal is to secure enough sponsorships to stage at least six Key Leader events next year.

Key Leader is a youth leadership development program created by Kiwanis International for students ranging in age from recent eighth-grade graduates to the 12th grade. The cornerstone of Key Leader is “service leadership,” which includes leading by example and empowering others to achieve their full potential.

Key Leader is for all students, not just members of Kiwanis youth groups. Twenty-two events in the United States and Canada are scheduled from September to December.