Sage Clubs 2026 Leadership Team Retreat
On Friday, 23 January 2026, the atmosphere at Gwango Heritage Resort was lively. As vehicle after vehicle arrived loaded with school children and their teachers, there was an energy in the air, a new kind of excitement that we don’t often see within our safari settings - a new generation of leadership was taking the stage.
ATH this month gathered the entire Sage Clubs ecosystem. Sage Captains, Sage Facilitators, Sage Judges and the Council came together for our annual Leadership Team Retreat & Judges Orientation.
Sage Clubs are school-based programs that equip students with practical skills, confidence and opportunities to contribute positively where they live and learn. The program builds leadership, responsibility and community engagement through hands-on activities in schools. Students learn to take initiative, develop practical skills, and work together on projects that support their schools, communities and environment.
What became clear during this event is that Sage Clubs is not just a club for after-school activities. It’s a structured, high-accountability environment designed to build the soft skills, financial literacy and civic duty that textbooks cannot teach. The objective of the retreat was clear, to move beyond the theory of leadership and dive straight into practice. As the ATH Education Committee Chair put it during his opening remarks - "leadership is not a title, it’s responsibility, preparation and consistency."
The event clearly deconstructed the idea of the "figurehead" leader. The Senior Captain was described not as a boss, but as the "glue" holding the structure together, driving culture and accountability. But a heart needs a body to function, and we defined exactly how our specialised Captains will drive impact this year:
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The Careers Captains bridge to the future, organising the Sage Debate Series (kicking off in February) and the Career Discovery Days, ensuring students can articulate their ideas with confidence
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The Ecological Captains move beyond classroom biology to tangible action, leading the Sage Eco Explorers in clean-ups, recycling systems and gardening
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The Finance Captains lead the Sage Student Enterprises, learning real-world inventory control, profit/loss management and the vital importance of transparency
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The Sociology Captains are servant-leaders who will guide the Junior Mentoring Days in May, fostering literacy through Sage Readers and supporting primary school learners
Judges and Facilitators were also included in the training and there was a breakout session specifically for Judges Orientation, which focused on standardising how the judges will give constructive feedback during the upcoming Sage Campus and Inter-schools Debates. Evaluators were trained to be educators and they themselves also received a deep dive workshop on the form and rules of debate and how to rate the debaters as part of the scoring process. The goal is not simply to determine a winner, but to help students reflect on their reasoning, teamwork and communication.
The Sage Clubs Leadership retreat also laid out the calendar for 2026. From the intense preparation for the Sage Debate Series which kicks off in February through to the service-focused Sage Junior Mentoring Days happening mid-year May, and the Sage Career Discovery Day which will be slated for later in the year, in September.
A retreat of this magnitude and a program of this depth, is impossible to execute alone. The success of the Sage Clubs is a testament to a community that believes in investing in its youth. We extend our deepest gratitude to Gwango for hosting us in such an inspiring setting. A special thank you to our corporate and conservation partners who continue to support our vision: ZB Bank (Hwange Branch), AFC Bank (Hwange Branch), Zone Atelier, Painted Dog Conservation, WlidCRU and Hwange Wildlife Safaris. Your support ensures that when we tell a student they can be a leader, we have the resources and structure to help them achieve it.