By Bernard Chieng Kai Sheng (St Mark Church)
KUCHING — Leaders of the Chinese Youth in Kuching from St Joseph’s Cathedral, Holy Trinity Church, and St Mark’s Church participated in a four-part “leadership training series” conducted by Dr Peter Voon and Organised by St Mark Chinese Youth and Kuching Archdiocese Youth Commission (KAYC). The objective of the programme is for youth to “discover the authentic meaning of leading and serving in the Church – through self-development, pastoral, and spiritual growth.”
Dr Peter Voon brings with him over 35 years of extensive industry experience in Strategic Leadership, Organisational Transformation, Executive Coaching, Competency Assessment, and Talent Development.
The four-part training series was thoughtfully structured to guide selected youth leaders through a progressive, four-step learning journey in leadership development:
Part 1: Self-Discovery
• Youth leaders explored the purpose and meaning of life, gaining deeper awareness of their personal mission, passion, and vocation.
• This one-day session concluded with a sharing by Fr Felix Au on leadership in the context of ministry within the Church.
Part 2: Managing Relationships
• Youth leaders learned the art of engaging with others and developing Emotional Intelligence, with emphasis on understanding perspectives from both self and society.
• The one-day session concluded with a sharing by Fr Lucas Ng on leadership for service within the Church.
Part 3: “Accelerated” Teams
• Youth leaders were equipped with essential knowledge on building high-performance teams and effective methods for resolving interpersonal conflicts.
• The session concluded with a sharing by Fr Delphin on leadership in Church ministry.
Part 4: Team Leadership
• This final phase marked the culmination of the training series with a two-day, one-night Leadership Bootcamp held at Sematan Roxy Townhouse.
• The bootcamp began with a Mission Trip from St Mark’s Church to Sematan, where participants worked in teams to plan and execute assigned missions, which included:
• Visiting three Catholic churches along the journey and learning about their histories;
• Visiting two Catholic schools;
• Visiting one Catholic community.
All teams successfully completed their missions. Participants expressed deep appreciation for the valuable lessons learned through the challenges encountered during the trip, and gained greater understanding of the limitations and realities faced by Catholic
communities in the more remote areas of Kuching.
Day One concluded with a BBQ dinner and an evening of talent sharing.
Day Two began with Holy Mass presided by Fr Delphin and animated by the participating youth leaders.
Throughout the bootcamp, training sessions further strengthened participants’ understanding of promoting inclusivity and harmony, as well as facilitating inclusive and effective meetings. Fr Delphin concluded the programme with a final sharing on appreciating diversity, equity, and inclusivity within the Church.
Overall, this leadership training series not only fostered strong relationships among Chinese Youth groups from different parishes, but also laid a solid foundation for youth leaders to build strong, effective, and united communities within the Archdiocese of Kuching and beyond.
Participants’ Reflections:
“Taking part in this Catholic Youth Leadership Development programme in Kuching was, for me, not merely an advancement in management skills, but a holistic journey of deep exploration into life’s mission and the depth of teamwork.
The programme revolved around four core themes, guiding us from self-discovery toward team leadership. Throughout the process, I came to deeply understand that excellent leadership is by no means simply about administrative command, but rather flows from sincere service to others—just as the Gospel of Matthew 5:13 states: ‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’
Looking ahead, I am committed to translating what I have learned into action: on a personal level, striving for a high degree of self-discipline and emotional management; on a team level, by discovering the gifts of others and fostering unity, moving from “individual excellence” toward “shared flourishing as a team.” My heartfelt thanks go to the organisers and the instructor for their dedicated planning and guidance.” Elias Hii Ming Jun (Youth from St Mark Church)
“Thankful for this leadership training with Dr Peter, the youths from other parishes, as well as Fr Lucas and Fr Delphin.
Through these sessions, I realised that I am still on the journey of becoming a leader. As a leader, I learned that I must first know the road ahead, as well as the purpose and meaning behind what I do. A leader also needs self-awareness—because if you do not understand yourself, it becomes even harder to understand and lead others.
This applies equally in both work and service. Of course, everyone has their own personality and unique traits. In the blindfold activity, I learned that as a leader, it is important to understand how the person being led wishes to be guided. It also requires the Lord’s wisdom to truly listen and perceive the needs of others—this is part of empathy.
In addition, during the session where we listened to the youths, I came to understand that each person defines words differently (the instructor also introduced emotional words such as love, disappointment, and so on). For some, love means doing and accomplishing things together; for others, it means quality time and attentive companionship.
Finally, as leaders, we must learn from Jesus’ servant leadership—leading by example and caring for those in need. We are to lead them to God, for this is what God calls us to do — John 15:12: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Let us continue to learn from one another and pray for each other. God bless.” Christina Tie Chai Eng (Youth From Holy Trinity Church)
