FCCLA Attends Fall Leadership Workshop
7 Students from the Plainview FCCLA Chapter recently attended the Nebraska Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America Fall Leadership Workshop in Kearney. This annual event was held on Monday, September 20, with over 600 student members and chapter advisers registered for the conference. The state theme for this year is ‘Endless Opportunities,’ which encourages members to discover all aspects of FCCLA to further their opportunities. Attending from Plainview were Shayla Jacobsen, Brooke Forbes, Callie Pulis, Makayla Shonebarger, Averi Waldow, Weston Hoffman, and Maddisen Goracke.
The keynote speaker was Ashly Brinton with her presentation on “Reach Higher”. She spoke on how to go beyond your personal limitations, struggles, and challenges in order to live an awesome life and to achieve your ultimate potential. She explained that some people let challenges, problems and perceived limitations stop them from achieving their dreams. And some people, when they have failed more times than they care to admit, abandon their dreams and “settle for what life brings their way. She provided students with a new perspective and strategies so they can get off the sidelines and claim their dreams for themselves.
Students at the event also heard from members of the Nebraska FCCLA State Officer Team and the State Peer Officer Team at the start of the day. Members were then broken into two tracks: Chapter Leader Track and the New Member Track. Rebekka Jay and Alexis Cherry, both former state officers, led the New Member track. FCCLA competitive events, recognition opportunities, and National Programs sessions focused on providing new members a solid foundation on which to build their FCCLA experiences. Callie Pulis, Makayla Shonebarger, Averi Waldow, Weston Hoffman, and Maddisen Goracke were participants in the New Member track.
In the Chapter Leader track, officer training sessions were facilitated by the 2021-2022 Nebraska State Officers for chapter officers to gain more knowledge about their officer positions. Sessions in the Chapter Leader Track featured open discussions about awards and recognition, membership, competitive events, building a program of work, and public relations, along with the chance for members to share ideas and network with others. Shayla Jacobsen and Brooke Forbes participated in the Chapter Leader track.
In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to attend various breakout sessions presented by partner organizations. Nebraska FCCLA was excited to include content from Project Extra Mile, First Five Nebraska, and Jana’s Campaign to provide more information about reducing alcohol-related harm, advocacy, and preventing teen dating violence, respectively. The State Officers also presented additional sessions on community service, competitive events, opportunities in FCCLA, and resources to assist chapters.
New member Weston Hoffman found the conference a great way to learn more about FCCLA and its programs. “The icebreakers and energizers they had between session were really fun and a great way to meet people from around the state,” he said. Brooke Forbes and Shayla Jacobsen found their Chapter Leader sessions helpful. They stated that, “Keynote speaker Ashley held a session that was filled with ideas and activities on how to engage chapter members and encourage them to be a part of activities.”
FCCLA is a useful and dynamic national career and technical student organization that aids young men and women in their journey to become leaders and teaches them lifelong skills. It demonstrates the importance of understanding how to address important career, community, family, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. Nebraska FCCLA has over 2,500 members in 100 chapters across the state. For more information about FCCLA, please visit www.nebraskafccla.org.