The Adviser Winter 2015-2016 by FCCLA

Winter 2016

very person deserves the right to experience growth, failure, and success

time to stop, reflect, and focus on the M ake positives in your life

P It’s the middle of the year. You’ve probably completed the first semester of school. Some things have gone well so far this year, and some things haven’t gone quite as planned. That’s life, right? We dream dreams, we put forth effort, we step out in faith, and we see what happens. We encourage, we support, we empower. Thank you, FCCLA advisers, for this work that you do with students every day. YOU are making a difference! To help remind yourself of the importance of continuing the empowerment throughout the year, check out the acrostic to the right. Maybe it’s something you’d want to share with your students. Hold a class discussion to see what your students think of each line and challenge them to apply what they learn to their life.

“Leaders don’t create followers. They create more leaders.” –Tom Peters

Let’s continue the FCCLA tradition of leaders creating more leaders, a fantastic cycle that’s been happening since 1945. Here’s to a great second half of the year as you continue to lead, inspire, and empower!

urpose drives empowerment (What’s your purpose, and do you remind yourself of it often?)

O pportunities need to be shared

W e all rise when we lift others up nothing in return, but be thankful for E xpect everything to focus on yourself, too, so that R emember you can empower others (a dead battery can’t give power to something else)

In this issue… Empower................................... 1 Executive Director Letter.......... 2 BOD Chapter Adviser Letter..... 3 Continue to EMPOWER............ 5 National Programs Updated..... 7 Membership Campaign............ 7 Connecting National Programs to the Curriculum...................... 8 Connecting National Programs to the Chapter........................... 8 IMPACT Fund............................ 9

The Adviser | Winter 2016

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Inc. ®

The Adviser is published by Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Inc.® as a recognition and resource tool for chapter advisers. Sandy Spavone

Executive Director

Ashley Pournaras

Communications Manager

Caitlin Osbourne

Communications and Membership Assistant

Josh Bowar

Editorial Consultant

Julie Kettner

Design Consultant

The Adviser may be reprinted, excerpted, or photocopied accompanied by the following statement: Reprinted with permission from The Adviser, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Inc.® We welcome comments, suggestions, and reports. Send to The Adviser at: National FCCLA 1910 Association Drive Reston, VA 20191-1584 (703) 476-4900 • FAX (703) 860-2713 www.fcclainc.org Email: communications@fcclainc.org

Leadership Notes Greetings, FCCLA Advisers! I hope all of you are doing well as we reach the halfway point of the school year, and I am sure that you’re continuing to share your “me power” as you empower yourself, your students, and your FCCLA chapter. You are doing great things! Take some time to think about the quote below. “The role of leaders is not to get other people to follow them but to empower others to lead.” -Bill George I agree that leadership is all about empowering others, and I believe that FCCLA is the organization to empower our youth to lead. When I think about leadership and the empowerment that comes with it, I think of FCCLA opportunities like the ones below: • The IMPACT Fund – a fund set aside to provide resources to innovative member and chapter projects • Competitive Events – events specifically designed to give members the opportunity to develop and practice their leadership skills • National Meetings – opportunities for members to connect with each other to learn and grow • Leadership Academy – a program with the sole purpose of training today’s members to be tomorrow’s leaders • National Programs – resources designed to help members develop their skills and interests in many different areas

And the list goes on and on. Because of your dedication to your students and the FCCLA organization, we’re making a difference in the lives of today’s youth. We’re training a generation of leaders who will then be able to train another generation of leaders, with the cycle continuing for many years to come. So how are you empowering yourself to lead? How are you empowering others to lead? I encourage you to do some reflecting to discover your areas of strength and growth. We need to remain strong, focused leaders so that we can continue to empower our youth members to lead. I enjoy hearing from chapter advisers. As you continue your excellent leadership in FCCLA and your classrooms, I hope that you have a fantastic year! Empowered to Lead, Sandy Spavone Executive Director

The Adviser | Winter 2016

BOD Chapter Adviser Letter

Submitted by Karin Davis and Joline Dunbar, FCCLA Board of Directors Chapter Representatives

Welcome to winter, FCCLA Advisers! As we serve on the FCCLA Board of Directors, our primary focus has been our deep belief that the health and future of FCCLA lies in the strength of our advisers. Advisers need and deserve resources to help them do their jobs, support from the state and national levels, and appreciation for what they do. Being an adviser is not an easy job, and if you do it really well, it is a very busy one. It can be demanding, time consuming, and even overwhelming at times, but what really matters is that the end result is opportunities for students. Those opportunities help them to grow into leaders today who will lead us in the future. Being an adviser is more than just a position. It is a privilege and a responsibility.

We are living in an exciting time for our organization. While some of the recent changes made by the FCCLA Board of Directors are causing concern among some state and chapter advisers, we encourage you to reflect on the ultimate goals of these changes. As you may know, FCCLA will be transitioning to having all members wear red blazers and official dress at the National Leadership Conferences. Let’s look at why it is a positive move to adopt the red blazer as our standard dress by NLC 2018.

As chapter adviser representatives on the FCCLA Board of Directors, we would like to stress that before decisions are made for the organization, we do consider the opinions of chapters and advisers. Most importantly, we take into consideration the future of the organization. The following statements are part of Vision 2018, the FCCLA strategic plan that is used to guide programs and services. Each of the bulleted items represents an idea or a goal that is included in the national program of work. Some of them are in place already, while some are in process, with the goal of being completed by 2018. • Develop training and education opportunities to expand and renew chapter adviser knowledge of FCCLA (New Adviser Handbook, adviser training at NCM and NLC, national staff visits to your state or chapter on request) • Explore developing a certified mentor program   • Research a training retreat for advisers that would be at a time with no youth attendees (The first ever Chapter Adviser Summit was held in Reston, VA, in October. The second one is scheduled for February. Check into attending!) • Build new e-learning opportunities for chapter advisers (Kendall College is offering e-learning for CEUs.) • Expand and enhance recognition of chapter advisers and chapter success (Chapter news items are included on all social media sites, chapters can send in news items to share in Teen Times, chapter adviser recognition opportunities are available to all advisers) • Provide resources for chapter engagement (National Executive Council blog, membership kit, FCCLA Week ideas on the website, partnership contests, daily Fast Facts email) • Develop promotional materials to highlight the benefits of attending conferences (Save the Date flyer, NCM promo video, membership kit)

• After 75 years, we still have to explain who we are. We are not branded and easy to identity. Other CTSOs who have a uniform dress code do not need to explain what their focuses are, how long they have been in existence, or what they address. When our nation’s leaders see them in uniform, they know what it stands for. We need that recognition. When only a select few of our student leaders wear the organization’s colors or official uniform, it waters down our impact. • Wearing the red blazer should be a sign of leadership and a source of pride for ALL members. What sets apart an officer as a leader from the rest of the group is not what they are wearing, but what they do and how they conduct themselves. FCCLA is The Ultimate Leadership Experience, and that should not be exclusive to just officers. • A stronger identity will go a long way in helping us attract partners and sponsors who share our focus of improving families, careers, and communities. Some have said we didn’t have the right “product” to attract the big businesses and, therefore, the big dollars that other CTSOs can garner. We disagree. What we have is the best product, our student leaders.They are trained in leadership, decision-making, problem solving, communication, and teamwork. Businesses, industries, and communities want our product because we produce the best. Having a strong ...continued on page 4

The Adviser | Winter 2016 Continued from page 3

identity by uniting in red will help us in that process. We are aware that there are concerns about getting enough jackets and official dress; however, we want to stress to you that you do not need to be ready until the summer of 2018. Also, please use some of the ideas that we provided like a “swap shop”, borrowing from another chapter, a “Rockin’ the Red” dance, and many others. Check out the Unite in Red campaign, which has been started with the goal of raising money to help chapters with the cost of the blazers. In our chapters, we’re reaching out to former officers and chapter alumni to ask them to sponsor a blazer for our chapter. Their name will go up on a plaque in our room, and we will thank them for giving current students the opportunity to be involved in an organization that gave them so much when they were in school. When talking to alumni about how they can help, most just ask what we need. They don’t want to compete, and they don’t want recognition. They just want to pass on their love of the organization. We’re also posting the Unite in Red link on our social media sites to encourage others to give to this cause. Change is not always easy, but often necessary. We have heard from some advisers that the cost of the blazer is their primary concern and that small communities will find this cost prohibitive. We are also from small communities, and the cost of a blazer will be a personal hardship for many of our chapter members as well. We understand the concern, but we also understand the benefits. Steps taken to alleviate the cost have been taken. We have secured a drastically reduced price for the blazer at $65 with a patch sewn on or $60 without the patch attached – a savings of over 50% of the previous cost. Some have also expressed concern that they serve a high percentage of students on free and reduced meals. We believe that is true for many of us. How have other CTSOs who have had a dress code in place for many years worked through this issue? They

serve those same students and yet their dress code is part of who they are without question. One suggestion for a solution to address this concern is for chapters to own the blazers and charge the students a very minimal rental fee. The rental fee could be used to cover the costs of cleaning (if needed) and build up a fund to purchase new ones to add to the chapter collection. Additionally, wearing a uniform will save students the cost of four or five different outfits to wear at the National Leadership Conference, so the rental will actually save money for many. These changes are possible and the right direction for the organization. FCCLA will be stronger in the end. An example of this success is Oklahoma. For the last five years, Oklahoma FCCLA has required all chapter members who compete on all levels of STAR Events and voting delegates to be in official dress. They gave their chapters two years of planning before this rule became a policy. Some thought it was a tough at first, but everyone agrees and understands it now to be what is best. Students feel pride when they wear their red jacket, and seeing the sea of red jackets is inspirational and motivates us all to aspire to the leadership represented throughout FCCLA. As we mentioned earlier, change is not easy, but being an adviser is not easy. It is challenging, rewarding, and very much appreciated by those you serve. We firmly believe that for the future growth of our organization, we must spread our identity beyond our inner circle. We should not be the best-kept secret any longer. We are red. We are the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. We MUST face our future with warm courage and high hope. Thank you all for what you do! You are the reason FCCLA is a strong leadership organization, and we know we will advance through this change to be better, stronger, and better recognized for all that we do because of your commitment to excellence.

FCCLA is Social and Mobile! Connect with FCCLA’s multiple social media accounts to stay up-to-date on various projects and initiatives, be reminded of deadlines, and much more. Also, don’t forget to download our FCCLA 365 mobile app! Search for “FCCLA 365” in your app store or submit your cell phone number at this link to receive a download link directly to your phone via text message.

facebook.com/NationalFCCLA @NationalFCCLA pinterest.com/NationalFCCLA @NationalFCCLA youtube.com/NationalFCCLA1945 fcclainc.org/blog

The Adviser | Winter 2016

Continue to EMPOWER!

Writing a Personal Mission Statement

Winter can be a hard time to keep the empowerment going! It’s time to keep moving forward in the school year. We all know that in order to empower others, we have to feel empowered ourselves. Help your students continue their empowerment journey by leading them through the personal mission statement lesson, an excerpt from the updated Student Body national program guide released this past summer. The lesson features students documenting their personal values and mission statement in an effort to help them focus on what they believe is important in their life, putting their focus in the right direction for themselves.

working on a statement that explains their values, goals, and vision for their future. Share the famous mission statements below with students. •

•

Walt Disney—“To make people happy.”

•

Sony—“Our mission is to experience the joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the public.”

•

3M—“To solve unsolved problems innovatively.”

•

PepsiCo—“Our mission is to be the world’s premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners, and the communities in which we operate. And in everything we do, we strive for honesty, fairness, and integrity.”

1. Explain that FCCLA has a dynamic mission statement that describes our collective goals and ideals. It serves as a structure that helps guide our work and vision. Share the mission statement below with students. The mission of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is to promote personal growth and leadership development through Family and Consumer Sciences education. Focusing on the multiple roles of family member, wage earner, and community leader, members develop skills for life through character development, creative and critical thinking, inter- personal communications, practical knowledge, and career preparation. 2. Ask students if they know mission statements of any other people or organizations. Your school or community may have a mission statement. Discuss the importance of having a personal mission statement. Having a personal mission statement helps you focus on your goals, helps you keep your perspective in mind, and gives you a purpose to work toward. It is something that can be personally motivating, and it leads to positive emotional health through setting a direction. It also can be used as a reminder when things get tough. 3. Instruct students that they’ll be

Reebok—“Our purpose is to ignite a passion for winning, to do the extraordinary, and to capture the customer’s heart and mind.”

•

Mahatma Gandhi—“Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day: I shall not fear anyone on earth. I shall fear only God. I shall not bear ill toward any one. I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”

Explain that all of the mission statements define purposes, values, and actions. The students’ mission statements should do the same. It can be long or short, a poem or song, a famous quote or story— anything that tells their personal goals, beliefs, and dreams. There is only one rule: as they grow and mature, so should their personal mission statement. Sean Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, said it best: “A personal mission statement is like a tree with deep roots. It is stable and

isn’t going anywhere, but it is also alive and continually growing.” 4. Share the handout Personal Mission Statement Tips and Tricks, located on page 5 of this issue, with students. 5. Select activities below to use with your students to help them brainstorm ideas related to their personal mission statement. Choose one, two, or a combination of several to help your students put their ideas to paper when it comes to their values and mission. Templates Students can complete templates like the ones below. To... so that...  Because I value... I will... To live each day with... so that... To help others... because...  To be...

Quotes Choose a quote from someone  by doing some searching online. Incorporate the quote somehow into the mission statement. Songs Include parts of songs that are important to them.

Questions Answer questions like the ones below. • If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it? • What are your best qualities? • What skills and gifts do you have? • What have you learned from important people in your life? • What are you most proud of in your life? Why? • Of all the great things someone could say about you, which one would matter the most to you? Why? • What will you be doing beyond high school? • Where do you see yourself in 10 years? • Imagine yourself 20 years from now. Who is surrounding you, and what are you doing? • Where do you see yourself in 25 years? How about 50 years? • Write about a time when you ...continued on page 6

The Adviser | Winter 2016

Continued from page 5

were really inspired by something or someone. • Write a list of 10 things that you love to do.

TA1603

Free-write Set a timer for 15 minutes and just write whatever comes to mind related to a personal mission statement. At the end of the time, go back and circle things that are important to include.

Acrostic Make an acrostic poem from your first (and maybe also last) name, including words that describe you and your strengths. 6. After students have plenty of ideas through brainstorming, have them write their personal mission statement. Then put it aside for  a few weeks. After that time passes, have them look at the personal mission statement again and have them make edits if they would like. Encourage students to keep looking back at their personal mission statement as they go throughout the year—and life—continuing to adjust and edit as needed. Challenge them to make decisions and live their life with the personal mission statement in mind. Extension idea: You could also have students make a poster, a video, a presentation, a website, or other ways to display and explain their personal mission statements. It would also be fun to have students share their personal mission statements with the rest of the class and see who can guess which personal mission statement belongs to which student, including reasoning for the match. Don’t have a copy of the updated Student Body national STUDENT BODY PROGRAM GUIDE program guide? Get yours today by heading to the FCCLA Store!

| UNIT 4: THE RESILIENT YOU

Personal Mission Statement Tips and Tricks Use these tips and tricks when writing your own personal mission statement. Keep it short and to the point. You want people to understand clearly what you mean, but you also don’t want to be wordy. Try to limit it to three to five sentences. Make sure your mission statement sounds like you. Make it personal, using words you actually say. Focus on your dreams and goals. Include values that you think are important. Keep it positive. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Create something that will guide your daily actions and also something that you will work toward. Think about specific actions, behaviors, habits, dreams, and goals you have. Incorporate those into your mission statement. Your mission statement should help you focus who you are and who you want to become. It should focus on these three questions:

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What is the purpose of my life?

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What do I stand for?

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What actions help me live what I stand for and fulfill my purpose?

Use the rest of this sheet to complete brainstorm activities directed by your teacher.

The Adviser | Winter 2016

Membership Campaign

National FCCLA has launched a new membership campaign. The incentives for the campaign are similar to previous years, but we are excited to move forward and encourage students to Go For the Red! The Go For the Red campaign provides incentives for members and chapters working to increase membership. Go For the Red empowers students to recruit, retain, and recognize members. Individual Award Individual winners based on most members recruited in specific school size categories. School Categories: Small School: 250 students or less Medium School: 250-1000 students Large School: 1000 students or more Prizes include $200 cash, a $50 FCCLA Store voucher, and recognition at the 2016 National Leadership Conference. Chapter Award Chapter winners based on largest percentage increase in chapter membership. Prizes include $250 cash, a $50 FCCLA Store voucher, a feature in Teen Times, and recognition at the 2016 National Leadership Conference. State Award State winners based on largest percentage increase in the number of Youth Scholarship applicants, Adult Award applicants, National Program Award applicants, and state membership numbers. The state winner receives a plaque and recognition at the 2016 National Leadership Conference. The deadline for individual and chapter awards is April 30, 2016. For more information and to apply, visit the Membership Campaign page on the national website!

National Programs to be Updated FCCLA advisers, be on the lookout. Updated and fresh editions of the Financial Fitness and FACTS (Families Acting for Community Traffic Safety) national programs will be available at the 2016 National Leadership Conference this July! Each unit in the programs will be made with you, the classroom teacher, and the student in mind, including: • • • • • • • • • • •

Introductory information about the unit’s topic Pre- and post-tests Printable handouts Classroom activities, mini-lessons, and projects Helpful links Several subtopics Resources (including technology) Peer-to-peer contribution Integrating family, career, and community Project ideas Lesson plans, which link to STAR Events, STEM, and FACS national standards • Careers and employability ideas Also included in the updated version of Financial Fitness and FACTS are workshops related to each of the units, printable materials related to Financial Fitness and FACTS as a whole, supplemental materials, kick-off activities, and more! With updated activities, information, links, lesson plans, handouts, games, and tools, Financial Fitness and FACTS will be great additions to your FACS classroom and FCCLA chapter. Stay tuned for more information related to how you can get your copy of the updated versions of Financial Fitness and FACTS from the FCCLA Store!

The Adviser | Winter 2016

Connecting National Programs to the Curriculum Submitted by Karin Davis and Joline Dunbar, FCCLA Board of Directors Chapter Representatives

FCCLA is an integral part of the Family and Consumer Sciences education curriculum. It is the only in-school student organization with the family as its central focus, and everyone is part of a family. Since 1945, FCCLA members have been making a difference in their families, careers, and communities by addressing important personal, work, and societal issues. Those issues include things like financial management, nutrition and wellness, parenting and child development, finding and furnishing a home, balancing work and family, and preparing for careers. We encourage you to think about national programs as part of the FACS curriculum, not as an additional piece to be integrated. It’s important for the FCCLA National Programs and

FACS curriculum to work hand and hand with each other. They support each other. Integration of FCCLA into family and consumer sciences classes offers real life application opportunities to students through projects and activities. How can you integrate Career Connection, Families First, FACTS, STOP the Violence, Power of One, Financial Fitness, Leadership Service in Action, and Student Body? The staff at National FCCLA looks for ways to make integration easier for advisers. One section of the FCCLA website offers resources to help integrate national programs into the curriculum. Go to the home page, then the advisers tab, and then scroll down to the lesson plans link. Lesson plans, activities, and many other resources can be found at

fcclainc.org/advisers/lesson-plansand-activities.php. Lesson plans are comprehensive and include the national program connection, suggestions for STAR Events, and a list of national standards addressed. Don’t reinvent the wheel! The website provides advisers tools to make FCCLA a true part of every FACS classroom. And don’t forget to take pictures, submit an article for a national publication, and apply for a national program award. We want to hear all about how you’re working with national programs in your classroom. Best wishes to you as you integrate FCCLA national programs into your FACS curriculum. By doing so, you’re providing a solid education about life and FCCLA!

Connecting National Programs to the Chapter Submitted by Karin Davis and Joline Dunbar, FCCLA Board of Directors Chapter Representatives

program. Make it a rule that your chapter will not conduct any activities that are not related to a national program. 3. Choose to either focus on one or two national programs with multiple activities or include many national programs and do a few projects in each one. Depending on the size of your chapter, make the number of national programs you include fit what your members can carry out with success. Connecting national programs to your chapter is guaranteed to strengthen your chapter’s program of work. Here are some suggestions for ways to make national programs part of your success. 1. Start with a survey to identify the needs in your community or school. By conducting a survey, you will identify which national programs can be used to meet those needs. You’ll be able to plan and carry out projects and activities and build community relations at the same time. 2. Ask chapter members to prioritize their interests. Assist them in planning projects to include in the program of work. Always connect those projects to a national

4. Ask chapter officers or members to chair or co-chair a national program. Let them work with a committee to choose projects that fit the focus of that program, and include those activities in the program of work. 5. Use national programs to build your chapter. The FCCLA national programs have something for everyone. Help recruit new members by matching their interests to the program they fit best. Making that connection gives members a purpose for joining from the very start. No matter which FCCLA national programs you choose, remember to document and also take pictures and video. Get a newspaper article, TV interview, or Facebook post related to the project. Then submit the great work you did as an entry for an FCCLA national program award!

The Adviser | Winter 2016

A good idea needs to be nurtured and developed. The power of an idea in FCCLA can be tremendous, but these ideas often need resources to flourish. That’s where the IMPACT Fund comes in! The 2014-2015 National Executive Council identified an opportunity for the newly-elected NEC to bring about change and create opportunities for FCCLA in a way never before possible. The IMPACT (Investments in Members and Partnerships and Assistance for Chapters and Teachers) Fund is an initiative of the NEC and exists to advance and modernize FCCLA and Family and Consumer Sciences by providing opportunities for members to take action and to perpetuate a legacy that exemplifies our mission, purposes, and initiatives. The IMPACT Fund will be used to directly support members through grants to chapters and/or the work of the National Executive Council on members’ behalf. The fund can be used for virtually anything. If you feel that you have an initiative benefiting FCCLA members that needs funding, consider applying for a grant from the IMPACT Fund. All requests will be reviewed by the current National Executive Council for the strongest potential to make an impact for students, schools, communities, and/or states. Resources will be awarded as available.    While we ask for applications from members, chapters, and states, we also ask that stakeholders donate back to the IMPACT Fund so that future youth leaders may have the same opportunities. Do you have a chapter partner that you could encourage to donate to this worthwhile cause? To get a copy of the application and scoring rubric as well as donate to the fund, head to http://fcclainc.org/funding.php.

The Adviser | Winter 2016

THE FCCLA

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STAY WARM IN RED

BE EFFICIENT

Stay warm when the weather cools down

Keep notes, ideas, and small cards close at hand

ALWAYS BE PREPARED

SHOW YOUR SPIRIT

Stay hydrated and bring your supplies

Decorative pins or a letterman patch add spirit to any outfit or jacket

Find these great products and more online at www.fcclastore.org 10