Area Officers Attend Summer Virtual State Leadership Conference
Saturday, August 15, 2020 | Author: Texas FFA News
One hundred and one Texas FFA Area Officers attended the 2020 Texas FFA State Leadership Conference (SLC) in hopes to develop leadership skills and receive facilitation training.
For decades, the SLC was held in more of a “camp” environment, and was transitioned to a more professional environment in a conference setting in 2017. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions the event moved to an online format held June 29 - July 2, 2020.
“I was so proud that even in such uncertainty our association came together to create such an amazing and unforgettable leadership experience,” siad Aimeé Jones, Belton FFA member.
The Texas FFA Officer team and state staff faced the challenge of redesigning the event to be held in a virtual setting. With guiding principles in mind, this year’s officers set out to develop a comprehensive and targeted curriculum delivered via Google Classroom. Ultimately, the professional environment is intended to help students feel empowered to work on committees and feel like their voices are heard.
“Though the SLC had to be conducted virtually, the state officers and state staff did an amazing job of having things planned out and organized,” said Abby Grant, McNeil FFA member. “We couldn’t be in person, but through the workshops and committees there was still the excitement and learning atmosphere that would have come with an in person event.”
The conference featured a dynamic lineup of speakers including Texas FFA Executive Director Austin Large, Texas FFA Leadership Development Coordinator Angelica Aldana, and National FFA Officers Yomar Roman and Kolesen McCoy.
The four-day schedule was packed with skills-based workshops and comprehensive instruction demonstrating the latest tools available for leadership development.
“Virtual SLC was the perfect way to adjust to new ways of delivering our mission,” said Camryn Wilder, Katy FFA member. “Although it was different than expected, I was so encouraged to stay strong.“
Attendees were given tools to reproduce the training received, with the end goal being for SLC attendees to facilitate the content at the area, district, and chapter levels.
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