National Program Opportunities
Oftentimes when we watch the news on TV, hear it on the radio, or read it in the newspaper, we are bombarded with negative stories dealing with school shootings, unemployment going up, and how studies are showing how unhealthy Americans are becoming. Without a lot of thought, these occurrences simply stay put in our minds for a few minutes and more than often vanish from thought at the end of the day. However, these stories in the news shouldn’t amount to just dinner table discussion, but rather serve as inspiration for us to enact change in the world to make it a better place. Luckily with FCCLA’s National Programs, implementing this kind of change couldn’t be easier. There are numerous methods and opportunities to take these negative stories in the news and transform them by helping to make the future brighter for ten or even tens of thousands of people.
The shooting that took place on February 14 at Northern Illinois University is eerily reminiscent of Last April, when much of our nation was overcome with grief and shock when a student at Virginia Tech University shot and killed thirty-two people in a single day. It’s hard to find the good in such tragic events, but negative happenings such as a school shooting can lead to positive teaching and a raise in awareness in regards to violence in our communities. FCCLA’s STOP the Violence Program is the perfect one for your chapter to carry out, especially if violence is a serious issue in your community. If you’re looking for a project idea, why not organize an assembly that features community leaders to speak to elementary school students about the negative effects of bullying and resorting to violence to solve problems. Hopefully with action from chapters like yours in completing this National Program, the rates of school violence and violence in general will take a turn for the better.
Over the past decade especially, America has become much more health-conscious and aware of the growing obesity epidemic that is plaguing so many members of society. With FCCLA’s Student Body National Program, your chapter can take steps to reduce unhealthy behaviors in your community and increase healthy eating and exercise. For a project idea, you could start a “Never Say No to Breakfast” campaign at your school by setting up displays in your cafeteria highlighting the many breakfast food possibilities. You could even hold a food tasting, offer cooking lessons, bring in a nutritionist to talk to your school about the importance of breakfast, and end the campaign with a free breakfast party in the cafeteria. The possibilities are endless!
The unemployment rate has gone through the roof in Michigan over the past few years. Although there aren’t as many jobs to go around as there have been in the past, part of the reason why people are not getting hired is because they do not posses the suitable expertise to land a good paying job. Luckily with FCCLA’s Career Connection program, participating members can gain valuable experience for landing a job, or even starting a career now, or later on in the future. In your community, you could gather local businesses together to hold a teen job fair, for example. Offer workshops to teens on how to properly go about handling a job interview, or impact a younger group of students by holding an assembly to educate them about making career choices. Preparing youth for jobs early on will ultimately make them better citizens later on in life.
I can’t stress enough how important National Programs are to FCCLA and how easy they are to complete. All of the necessary information is available online at www.fcclainc.org – click on the “Programs” tab at the top. I strongly encourage you to check that it out.
Furthermore, be sure to complete the Platinum Level of recognition for our State Community Service Project, Rock Your Community, by submitting an application for a National Program. Information about the Community Service Project can be found on www.mifccla.org. Remember our state goal is to have every chapter fill one of those forms out and apply for national recognition. It would be awesome to see chapters from Michigan recognized for national program efforts this year at the National Leadership Meeting. Remember as always, contact me at aschantz@mifccla.org if you have any questions, or want to bounce some ideas around. Remember that the deadline for the applications is MARCH 1st so don’t hesitate – complete a national program today!