Opportunities in FFA
Interest Approach

Have an FFA chapter officer or a former
member visit your class and discuss what
he or she has gained from participating in
FFA activities.
Student Learning Objectives

Instruction in this lesson should result in
students achieving the following
objectives:
◦ 1 Describe how FFA develops leadership
skills, personal growth, and career success.
◦ 2 Identify major state and national activities
available to FFA members.
Terms
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The following terms are presented in this lesson (shown in bold
italics):
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Advanced Leadership Development Conference (ALD)
Agriscience Student Recognition Program
Career Development Event (CDE)
Experiencing Discovery, Growth, and Excellence Conference (EDGE)
FFA Global Programs
FFA Scholarship Program
Food for America
leader
leadership
Made for Excellence Conference (MFE)
National FFA Convention
Partners for a Safer Community
Partners in Active Learning Support (PALS)
personal growth
Washington Leadership Conference (WLC)
Objective 1

Describe how FFA develops leadership
skills, personal growth, and career
success.
◦ Anticipated Problem: How does the FFA
organization develop the skills and
characteristics for future career success?
◦ I. The purpose of FFA is to help students develop to
their full potential through activities in the agriculture
program.
Objective 1continued
A. Leadership is one of
the major areas stressed
in FFA.
1. Leadership is the
ability to influence
other people to meet
individual or group
goals.
Objective 1 continued
 2. A leader is a person who helps other people reach
their goals.
 3. Four desirable traits of a good leader are:
 a. Personal skills—traits that make it easier for other
people to follow a leader, such as being hardworking,
responsible, and honest
 b. “How to” skills—traits that help a leader share
responsibilities, such as organizing meetings, speaking to
groups, and writing messages
 c. “Thinking” skills—traits that enable a leader to think
and assess problems
 d. “People” skills—traits that help a leader relate well
with other people, such as being trustworthy, respecting
others, and having a positive attitude
Objective 1 continued
 B. Personal growth is developing skills in order to have a
better life.
 1. It includes leadership skills, career skills, social behavior,
and citizenship skills.
 2. Social behavior deals with manners and respect for
others.
 3. Citizenship involves being a good member of the
community and the nation.
Objective 1 continued
 C. FFA promotes career success
through recognition of excellence
in agriculture and the development
of skills for career advancement.
 1. Supervised Agricultural
Experience (SAE) is an example
of a career-related activity.
 2. A Career Development
Event (CDE) provides
opportunities to practice
technical skills learned in the
classroom that will be used later
in career settings.
Objective 1 continued
 D. FFA provides a number of offices for leadership
development. These offices include:
1. President—presides over meetings
2. Vice-President—presides in absence of the president
3. Secretary—takes minutes of meetings
4. Treasurer—in charge of the financial accounts
5. Sentinel—keeps order in meetings
6. Reporter—reports news to media
7. Historian—keeps FFA scrapbook
8. Parliamentarian—rules on parliamentary conduct during
meetings
9. Chaplain—presents invocations at functions
Objective 2

Identify major state and national activities
available to FFA members.
◦ Anticipated Problem: What major state and
national activities are available to FFA
members?
 II. As an FFA member, you can participate in a wide
range of activities at the local, state, and national
levels.
Objective 2 continued
 A. Every year, state and national conventions are
held to conduct business, provide recognition for
award winners, and demonstrate opportunities
for leadership growth.
 1. The National FFA Convention is the largest
youth conference in the nation. Recent
attendance has been in excess of 50,000
members.
 2. The convention offers motivational speeches,
educational tours, leadership conferences, and
the FFA National Agricultural Career Show.
Objective 2 continued
 B. Every year at their respective conventions, state and
national officers are elected to serve for the upcoming year.
 1. State officers usually travel around their state, visiting
chapters and presenting leadership workshops.
 2. National officers spend more than 300 days each year
traveling across the United States and abroad,
representing FFA.
 C. At state and national conventions, FFA members provide
much of the entertainment.
 1. Many state and the national conventions host a talent
contest.
 2. Musically talented individuals can participate in state and
national choruses and bands.
Objective 2 continued
 D. FFA Global Programs give students and teachers the
opportunity to explore global agriculture through
experiences that demonstrate the agricultural practices and
cultural traditions of other countries.
 E. FFA members who are interested in science and plan to
go to college should participate in the Agriscience Student
Recognition Program.
 1. Winners at the state and national levels earn substantial
scholarships for higher education.
 2. Participants are required to develop a scientific project
that involves agriculture and to write a report describing
methods, technologies, observations, and results.
Objective 2 continued
 F. More than $1 million are awarded every year
through the FFA Scholarship Program. To apply
for a national FFA scholarship, secure an
application form from an advisor or guidance
counselor.
 G. 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.
Objective 2 continued
 H. Food for America is a program that
FFA members present to elementary
school students. It educates younger
students about where food comes from
and the importance of agriculture.
 I. Partners for a Safer Community is a
national collaborative effort to promote
agriculture safety and health through
education, community development, and
youth leadership.
Objective 2 continued
J. National FFA Week is held every
year during the third week in
February. Members conduct various
activities to celebrate and promote
their organization.
K. The national FFA magazine, FFA
New Horizons, is an excellent source
of information about the
organization. It features articles
about members participating in
various local, state, and national
activities.
Objective 2 continued
 L. A number of conferences are available
to members.
 1. The Washington Leadership Conference
(WLC) is located in our nation’s capital. The
Washington Leadership Conference is a five-day
event that trains FFA members to make a
positive impact in their schools, their local
communities, their states, and the nation.
 2. The Experiencing Discovery, Growth, and
Excellence Conference (EDGE) is the first
component of the National FFA Leadership and
Personal Growth Series. It is designed to help
middle school students better understand who
they are and where they are heading.
Objective 2 continued
 3. The Made for Excellence Conference (MFE) is the second
component in the National FFA Leadership and Personal
Growth Series. It is a two-day personal development
conference designed primarily for high school freshmen and
sophomores. The overall outcome of this conference is
personal growth.
 4. The Advanced Leadership Development Conference
(ALD) is the third component of the National FFA Leadership
and Personal Growth Series. It builds upon the curriculum of
both EDGE and MFE and offers an experience specifically for
high school juniors and seniors. During the conference,
students explore the wide variety of careers available in the
field of agriculture.
 5. State leadership conferences are commonly held within each
state around the country. State conferences focus on personal
development and learning more about what FFA has to offer.
REVIEW
1.
How does the FFA organization develop the skills
and characteristics for future career success?
2.
What major state and national activities are
available to FFA members?