Pillar 1: Personal Development and Leadership Experience
The first pillar of the GOLD Route is centered on the individual participant. Items in this pillar will feature personal development (StrengthsQuest facilitation, personal assessment) and self-reported leadership experiences. To accommodate the wide and diverse range of leadership experiences, participants can submit any instance of personal leadership development from traditional officer roles (i.e., President of Chess Club) to leadership roles in many campus programs (e.g., serving as a Peer Leader, FASET cabinet member, or Tour Guide). Extended and one-time personal development opportunities such as LEAD 1:1 Coaching or attending the Women’s Leadership Conference can also be listed as a self-reported leadership experience.
Pillar 2: Organizational Development
The second pillar of the GOLD Route centers on the ways a participant can engage and grow the development of an organization or program they belong to. Items in this pillar will assist leaders in identifying a way their organization could grow (i.e., grow and maintain membership, host a successful officer election) and then applying behaviors or initiatives to meet that goal. Participants can anticipate workshops such as: Managing the Middle, How to host a successful meeting, Maximizing the team’s strengths, and much more.
Pillar 3: Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity
The third pillar of the GOLD route centers on working alongside fellow leaders. Using a lens of equity and inclusivity, items in this pillar will provide leaders with the knowledge, language, and skill necessary to not only identify social identities they and others possess but also to anticipate ways in which the diversity of experience in an organization directly contributes to overall success. Participants can anticipate workshops such as: Question, Persuade, Refer; Safe Space: Peer Education and Greek Allies, and How to host an accessible event.
Pillar 4: Health & Well-being
The fourth pillar of the GOLD Route is designed to empower students to become leaders in the campus community to promote health and well-being. Using a proactive and preventive lens, students will be empowered and motivated to acquire healthy beliefs which will translate into healthy behaviors. Through this pillar, students will acquire an understanding of the dimensions of holistic well-being and receive training in the skills to help their peers optimize their well-being. The diverse menu of activities in this pillar will also enable students to gain social competencies, hone social-emotional leadership skills, and develop a growth and resilience mindset.