GAME PLAN FOR SCHOOL GREATNESS
TIME: 3-5 hours
AUDIENCE: Student Leaders (primary & high school)
DELIVERY MODE: Virtually via Zoom
OVERVIEW
Winston Churchill once said: “Never let a good crisis go to waste”.
Leadership begins in the midst of challenges. In light of COVID-19 disruption, restrictions, fear and uncertainty, it’s more important than ever for student leaders to rise up in this century defining epoch and become light-bearers in a world marred by darkness. Student leaders, above all, have the greatest power and influence to promote mental wellness and create cultural change within a school environment, and the world around them.
Engaging, interactive and impactful, the Game Plan for School Greatness three part student leadership program – delivered over 3-5 hours – will empower, inspire and equip student leaders to become drivers of student wellbeing initiatives to create a thriving school community.
1) AWARENESS – Discovering the 5 stepping stones and 10 qualities to rise up, let their light shine and become a remarkable leader, the 5 stumbling blocks of leadership, and practical strategies to effectively lead without a title.
- Key Focus: Self-leadership, self-awareness, influence, leading others, inspiration, resilience, community, and empowerment.
2) ALIGNMENT – Designing their own ‘leadership’ group vision connected to creating a thriving school community (e.g mental health, reduce bullying, positive peer relations, engagement, collaboration) through teamwork – leaving confident, optimistic and driven by purpose.
- Key Focus: Leading others, vision, positive engagement, teamwork, critical thinking
3) ACTION PLAN – Developing strategies and an implementation plan to turn the vision into reality – leaving with the clarity, practical tips and inspiration to take immediate action to follow-through and achieve their “documented” game plan, help others get the monkeys off their back, and create a thriving school community.
- Key Focus: Implementation, communication strategies, positive mindset, collaboration, community, accountability.
This program also includes optional post program implementation support and accountability.
Daniel is a Certified Virtual Presenter (CVP), therefore virtual experience via Zoom will be just as engaging as in person delivery with the use of a variety of different ways to make it fun, interactive and just as impactful as in person. For example, the use of breakout rooms, polling, reactions, chat functions, and more to keep students active, plus using a bunch of apps to enhance the online experience such as Jamboard for brainstorming, music, exercises and activities throughout. Students will be prompted to do something every 5-7 minutes to keep them active and energised throughout. Groups and breakout rooms can be set up beforehand. This is already set up, not requiring the school to do anything beforehand.
Testimonials
Newington College, NSW
Oakhill College, NSW
Freeman Catholic College
Curriculum Advisor
Head of Middle School
Assistant Principal
Year 7 student
Year 8 student
Year 7 student
Year 8 student
Year 10 student
Parent
Year 8 student
Year 10 student
Year 11 student
Year 10 student
Year 11 student
Year 7 student
Teacher
Year 11 student
Year 11 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Teacher
Year 11 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Year 10 student
Head of Senior School

About Daniel
Daniel Merza is a wellbeing and leadership specialist, award-winning international speaker, teen coach and author.
Having worn the “underdog” cap growing up, Daniel’s story can be summed up in three words – “Defying the odds”.
Bullied for a decade, diagnosed with a mental illness aged 13, and labelled as a student with “no hope”, Daniel faced up to his tormentors at 16 and turned his life around.
During an illustrious corporate career spanning 15 years with leading companies like KPMG and BDO, Daniel spent considerable time developing the weaker spots of younger staff – such as tenacity, emotional intelligence, stress management, self confidence, and leadership – as part of his senior leadership roles.
Having witnessed first-hand as a manager the degree to which young people lacked the essential skills to thrive post-school, Daniel left behind a six figure corporate pay packet to embark upon his mission to inspire tenacity, optimism and empowerment in high school students and “get them ready” to flourish in the real world.
Based in Sydney, Daniel has developed clever and fun ways to engage, empower and equip thousands of people worldwide to get the monkeys off their back and become the leader of their life. He has been featured on the radio and various newspaper and media outlets, and his work has also been acknowledged in NSW Parliament.
Daniel was a keynote speaker at the Middle East Youth Expo 2020 in Abu Dhabi, the largest youth event in the region with 10,000 students attending. Daniel also toured the UAE, speaking at high schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Daniel is also the author of Get the Monkeys off Your Back, a book specifically written for teens (and parents/educators), covering important topics such as self leadership, resilience, mental health, bullying, social media addiction, self discovery and peak performance.