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From Agricultural Issues, to Public Relations and Senior FFA Skills, these events all have many things in common. Leadership Development Events (LDE) strengthen speaking and leadership skills and provide a variety of different events and skills students can participate in. The Leadership Development Event Workshops, like many other events, was new to this year’s 82nd annual Texas FFA Convention. These LDEs teach us responsibilities and duties that help along the way during our FFA years. Therefore, it was important for the LDE Workshops to showcase the 2009 State Champions in Agricultural Issues, Public Relations and Senior FFA Skills in order for chapters to gain insight on how to improve their own LDE teams.
Agricultural Issues consist of a team of three to seven students. Each team must research and analyze a current agricultural issue, present an introduction, pro’s and con’s of the topic, and a summary for a good score.
“Perform in front of your community. It’s really good to get the town involved,” says 2009 State Convention Champion, Anna Bailey of Madisonville FFA. “Also practice everyday as much as you can.”
Public Relations consist of a team of two to four students. They must develop and present a 5-8 minute program to inform the audience about Texas FFA and what it represents. It is developed by assuming the group has no knowledge of the FFA. Afterwards, students are asked questions about the presentation.
“Some of the things you gain are confidence, friendships, town support and you get more comfortable speaking in front of crowds,” says 2009 State Champion, Jamie Borrow of Florence FFA.
Senior FFA Skills consist of a team of three to four students. They must take an exam testing their understanding of the FFA, agricultural education, current agricultural events and parliamentary procedure.
“Just stay calm,” says 2009 State Champion, Mason Verera of Lexington FFA. “There’s a difference between confident and cocky, you have to know when to draw the line.”
All of these events help make our foundation stronger for our future FFA members. They help us build character, make friendships and engage us in new ideas. These are just a few of the many events making the FFA organization so great.