Hi, My name is Zainab, I’m 15 years old and recently, In school I became a Deputy Senior Prefect. I will be talking about Global Citizenship and how it has impacted my role as Deputy Senior Prefect.

Becoming a Prefect

Before becoming a Senior Prefect, you have to become just a School Prefect. A School Prefect is an older student who is given some authority and helps to control the younger students. They also support staff to maintain order and discipline in and around the school. The reason I wanted to become a Prefect is because a School Prefect tries their hardest to achieve the very best they can and they are someone who inspires and helps to bring out the best in others. I’ve always believed I can help others to become the best they can be. I also believe that you can’t change a person but you can impact that change the person is going through. Becoming a School Prefect gives you the chance to help others in ways that you couldn’t before which is why I took the opportunity to become a School Prefect. So I did the application and got the Prefect role.

The Journey to Senior Prefect

I have also been entitled to become a Senior Prefect which did take a long journey but I got there in the end. A Senior Prefect acts as an aspirational role model to their peers across the student body and inspires younger students to strive for and achieve the same goal. I had to do another application and if you were chosen you would be interviewed by the Headship Team. Many Prefects applied but only 7 Prefects could be chosen to have an interview with the Headship Team which led down to 4 of them becoming Senior Prefects (2 Senior Prefects, 2 Deputy Senior Prefects). A few weeks later, I got chosen for the interview and so did 6 others. We had to create a manifesto which they sent around the school for students and staff to vote for their Senior Prefects. 2 weeks later, I was sent an email saying I had been retained for the role of Deputy Senior Prefect!

Why did I want to be a Senior Prefect when I was already a Prefect? 

As a Prefect, I always talked about bringing out the best in others and helping other students but as a Deputy Senior Prefect, I want to help and bring out the best in others and the best in my school as well. I was given the opportunity and I took it because I knew that the ideas that I would bring to my school and the students would benefit our school community.

BelEve’s support to me becoming a Senior Prefect

BelEve helps empower girls to become successful leaders in the future and I would never have seen myself become a Senior Prefect without being a part of BelEve. Being a part of BelEve, you gain leadership and teamwork skills. These skills are really important for Senior Prefects because it’s part of their role. Usually, in the interview they would ask a question about leadership and if you can give any examples of when you have shown leadership. When I was asked this question, the first thing that popped into my mind was being a part of BelEve and how I have gained leadership skills from joining the program.

BelEve is also about creating a community for us girls to understand each other to empower, inspire and increase our confidence. Being a global citizen means you are understanding and you are aware of the wider world. You take the opportunity to take action in your community to improve and make it even better.

How does this link to Global Citizenship?

Global Citizenship is being open to engaging positively with other identities and cultures and being able to recognise and challenge stereotypes. To me, Global Citizenship means understanding, helping your community showing respect, acceptance and so much more.

Zainab, BelEve Young Leader