York Leaders
Discover and develop your leadership skills.
York Leaders will advance your understanding of what it means to be a leader, while exploring and developing your own leadership skills in a group setting.
- The programme will take place in-person as a single-day event held on Saturday 5 April, 8.45am to 5.15pm.
- 80-90 places are available to undergraduate students who are in their second year of study or beyond.
- Applications will open at 9am on Monday 3 February and close on Friday 28 February at 5pm. Places will be offered to successful applicants on a first-come, first-served basis so early applications are encouraged.
Apply by completing this Google form.
What is York Leaders?
This unique programme offers the opportunity to take part in a series of interactive group challenges, all of which will test your leadership capabilities under the guidance of professional facilitators.
You’ll get to explore different perspectives on leadership, which, together with feedback, will help you reflect on your approach to the interactive challenges through the day.
Who is York Leaders for?
You might not see yourself as a leader (yet), you might join the programme with a wealth of previous leadership experience, or you might be anywhere in between.
No matter what your starting point, the York Leaders programme will help you to better understand your own existing leadership capabilities, and develop them further alongside both peers and professionals.
You might be looking for an opportunity to do one or more of the following:
- Better understand what leadership actually is and what it requires
- Discover how your personal strengths can unlock your leadership capabilities, whatever your existing experience
- Put your existing leadership skills to the test in a new context, working alongside students from different backgrounds and academic disciplines.
- Develop your approach to leadership and receive feedback along the way
Sound like it could be for you?
We’re looking for students who see the value of effective leadership and can show us their enthusiasm and potential to develop as leaders who bring about positive change.
Related links
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As part of the programme you will:
- Gain certified recognition for successful completion of the programme and leave with a great addition to your CV that you can talk about in applications and interviews.
- Meet and build relationships with other motivated students across a range of academic disciplines.
- Have an opportunity to use, develop and reflect on your existing strengths.
- Receive developmental feedback on your leadership skills.
- Build confidence in your leadership capabilities, skills, and what your next steps might be.
Here's some of the feedback we've received from previous York Leaders participants:
York Leaders 2024
“York Leaders really helped solidify my confidence in my own skills and leadership abilities.”
“Often activities like this can feel like a waste of time but York Leaders is not like that. The feedback and reflections are really valuable.”
“It’s a great opportunity to reflect on how you view leadership and what this means for you as a leader.”
“I have had a lovely day of fun and learning. Made new friends and built my confidence.”
York Leaders 2023
“The programme was far more useful for developing teamwork and leadership skills than I had even anticipated and provides a good safe environment for experimentation and learning your own skills.”
“It helped me explore and engage with my leadership potential.”
“Apply even if you don’t think you are a leader, it is a fun activity and you may surprise yourself.”
York Leaders is open to undergraduate students from any discipline who are in their second year or beyond.
You do not need to hold any formal leadership qualifications, experience or evidence of holding a leadership position in order to take part.
We’re looking for applicants who can show us potential, demonstrate their enthusiasm for the programme, and commitment to their leadership development.
Applications for York Leaders 2025 will open on Monday 3 February 2025 and close on Friday 28 February 2025.
Places will be offered to students on a first-come, first-served basis. You will be informed as to whether you have been awarded a place on the week beginning 10 March.
When all places have been filled, additional students who submit successful applications will be offered a slot on a reserve list and contacted if a place on the programme becomes available.
Apply by completing this Google form.
Application process
Application is via Google form and should take roughly 15-20 minutes to complete. You will be asked to confirm your eligibility for the programme and answer three short questions on:
- Your leadership potential and what you will bring to the programme
- Your leadership ambition and how you would like to develop as a leader
The application form gives some prompts for each question, and guidance on the kind of examples we’re looking for in your application. It is important to highlight that prior experience of leadership will not be valued more highly than any other kind of experience. Unlike job applications, it is perfectly acceptable for you to include reference to instances and examples from your personal life in your responses, including those from before you started university.
This application process is designed to be a short, straightforward and light-touch assessment of your suitability to participate in York Leaders. There are no "trick" questions and, in assessing your responses, we will simply be looking for your commitment and readiness to engage with the York Leaders programme in a way that will benefit you.
On offer of a place
Successful applicants will be sent a short package of pre-work materials at least a week before the start of the programme.
Completing the application form
- You can work on your application form at any time in the completion window, going back to the original link to access and edit your own form as much as you like.
- Each time you make changes/updates to your form, you must remember to always click SUBMIT at the end of the form or your updates will not be saved.
- We recommend you use a separate document to prepare your answers then copy and paste them into the form.
- Be aware of character limits, which are enforced automatically in the online form. Each question response field has a character limit of 1000 characters, which is roughly 150 words.
- Always use the BACK / NEXT buttons at the bottom of the form pages; do not use your browser’s back button or you may lose your work.
- You can write in full paragraphs or bullet points. Your application will be assessed on how effectively the content of your responses meets the criteria, not on the quality of your prose.
If you have any questions about the application process or require additional support please contact us at award@york.ac.uk
Related links
Handshake careers platform to find jobs, book appointments and message us
Using Handshake - a guide to get you started