FFA Members Attend Summer Leadership Conference
Builds leadership, team building and citizenship skills
WASHINGTON, D.C.—
The Washington Monument, the Arlington National Cemetery, and the Lincoln Memorial were just a few of the sights that six local FFA members witnessed this summer at the 2009 Washington Leadership Conference.
The Washington Leadership Conference (WLC) is a week-long conference to work and build on FFA members leadership qualities, as well as community involvement with in their area. Jacob Brock, Rylee Hobbs, DJ Melancon, Alexis Mitchell, Kelli Neuman, and Catherine Till were among 130 members present from across the country that attended the week six session of the conference.
The group was also fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with congressman Ted Poe in his office in Washington D.C. and to have a personal tour of our nation's capitol. "It was a life changing experience for me," said Melancon. I wish every FFA member would take advantage of this great opportunity."
The conference was such an opportunity that the members and Advisor paid their own way to attend the seminar. “It was definitely worth the expense and time.” says Jake Brock.
The weeklong program helps FFA members improve their leadership skills and prepare for leadership roles in their chapters, communities and their future careers. They attended sessions on developing authentic leadership, serving their communities and participating in civic engagement. They also participate in service learning events. “We live in an increasingly competitive world,” says Dr. Larry Case, National FFA Advisor and Coordinator, Agricultural and Rural Education with the U.S. Department of Education. “Tomorrow’s leaders must develop skills in these areas to effectively compete. Every student leaves WLC with an advantage because it gives those young people cutting edge leadership skills and valuable insight for productive citizenship.”
The National FFA Organization coordinates WLC, with the sponsorship of Monsanto, which attracts participants from across the country. This summer, more than 2,000 FFA members will attend one of the conference’s seven weeklong sessions. Monsanto is dedicated to the future success of agriculture by investing more than one million dollars to the National FFA Foundation in 2009, as well as supporting a number of agricultural youth each year.
Students also increase their understanding of the nation’s heritage with visits to,
Arlington National Cemetery, the Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt Memorials and other historic sites in Washington, D.C.
As a part of the FFAs Program of Activities, community service is an important part of our organization. While attending the conference all 130 FFA members from across the country participated in a Living to Serve opportunity. A local farmer in the DC area donates a portion of his 4000 acre corn crop to our Living to Serve project each year. The FFA members joined together one morning and walked the corn rows selecting ears of corn ready for harvest. “It was amazing to see everyone working together helping carry bushel bags of fresh sweet corn out of the field one after another. We hand picked and collected half of an 18 wheeler load of fresh sweet corn to be delivered to the Washington DC food bank. I know there were some happy people that week and I am sure they appreciated the fresh produce .” says Hobbs.
The National FFA Organization, also known as Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 507,763 student members – all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture – as part of 7,439 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit www.ffa.org for more information. or see our Chapter website at www.barbershillffa.org
Pictured are
Catherine Till, Kelli Neuman, DJ Melancon, Jake Brock, Rylee Hobbs, Alexis Mitchell and Rhett Wilson
