Discovering Opportunities in FFA

Terms Career Development Event (CDE) Experiencing Discovery, Growth, and Excellence (EDGE) Food For America Leader Leadership Partners for a Safer Community Partners in Active Learning Support (PALS) Personal growth Work Experience Abroad (WEA)

Student Learning Objectives Describe how the FFA develops leadership skills, personal growth, and career success. Identify major state and national activities available to FFA members.

Objective 1: Describe how the FFA develops leadership skills, personal growth, and career success.

The purpose of the FFA is to help students develop to their full potential through activities in the agriculture program.

Leadership is one of the major areas stressed in the FFA. Leadership is the ability to influence other people to meet individual or group goals. A leader is a person who helps other people reach their goals.

There are four desirable traits of a good leader: Personal skills-traits that make it easier for other people to follow a leader. Examples are being hardworking, responsible, and honest.

There are four desirable traits of a good leader: How to skills-traits that help a leader share responsibilities such as organizing meetings, speaking to groups, or writing messages.

There are four desirable traits of a good leader: Thinking skills-traits that enable a leader to think and assess problems. People skills-traits that help a leader relate well with other people such as being trustworthy, respecting others, and having a positive attitude.

Personal growth is developing skills to have a good life. It includes leadership skills, career skills, social behavior and citizenship skills. Social behavior deals with manners and respect to others. Citizenship involves being a good member of the community and country.

Career Success The FFA promotes career success through recognition of excellence in agriculture and the development of skills for career advancement.

Career Success Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is an example of a career related activity. A Career Development Event (CDE) provides opportunities to practice technical skills learned in the classroom that will be used later in career opportunities.

FFA Officers President-presides over meeting. Vice-President-presides in absence of the president. Secretary-takes minutes. Treasurer- in charge of the financial accounts. Sentinel-keeps order in meeting. Reporter-reports news to media. Historian-keeps FFA scrapbook.

Objective 2: Identify major state and national activities available to FFA members

Anticipated Problem: What are the major state and national activities available to FFA members?

As an FFA member, you are able to participate in a wide range of activities at the local, state, and national levels.

State and National Conventions Every year state and national conventions are held to conduct business, provide recognition for award winners, and demonstrate opportunities for leadership growth.

National FFA Convention The National FFA Convention is now the largest youth conference in the nation. Recent attendance has been in excess of 45,000 members. The convention offers motivational speeches, educational tours, leadership conferences, and the FFA National Agricultural Career Show.

State and National Officers Every year at their respective conventions, state and national officers are elected to serve for the upcoming year.

State and National Officers State officers usually travel around their state visiting chapters and presenting leadership workshops. National officers spend more than 300 days of the year traveling across the U.S. and abroad representing the FFA.

State and National Conventions At state and national conventions, FFA members provide much of the entertainment. Many state and the national conventions host a talent contest. Musically talented individuals can participate in state and national chorus and band.

Leadership Conferences FFA offers many camps and leadership conferences for members. At the national level, two programs are offered, The Washington Leadership Conference and Made For Excellence seminars.

Leadership Conferences The Washington Leadership Conferences are held in Washington, D.C. during the summer. The Made for Excellence program focuses on personal development and is held in numerous locations.

Work Experience Abroad The Work Experience Abroad (WEA) program is the FFA foreign exchange program. It allows members to travel to more than 30 foreign countries. WEA enables members to live and work with an agriculture family in a different country for 3-12 months.

Agriscience Student Recognition FFA members who are interested in science and have college goals should participate in the Agriscience Student Recognition Program.

Agriscience Student Recognition Winners at the state and national level earn substantial scholarships for higher education. Participants develop a scientific project, that involves agriculture. They write a report describing methods, technologies, observations, and results.

Scholarships More than $1 million are awarded every year through the FFA Scholarship Program. To apply for one of the National FFA scholarships, secure an application form from the advisor or guidance counselor.

PALS Partners in Active Learning Support (PALS) is an FFA mentoring program based on partnering FFA members with younger students to build trust and develop self-esteem.

Food for America Food for America is a program that FFA members present to elementary students. It educates younger students about where food comes from and the importance of agriculture.

Partners for a Safer Community Partners for a Safer Community is a national collaborative effort to promote agriculture safety and health through education, community development, and youth leadership.

EDGE Experiencing Discovery, Growth, and Development (EDGE) is a leadership and personal growth program for middle grade FFA members.

National FFA Week National FFA Week is held every year during the third week in February. Members conduct various activities to celebrate and promote their organization.

FFA New Horizons The national FFA magazine, FFA New Horizons, is an excellent source of articles about members participating in various local, state, and national activities.