Leader. Leader is defined as: “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.”
If you think about it, we have all been leaders of something, some way or another. Perhaps you were the leader of your local youth group or the leader of a fundraiser to raise awareness of pre-mature child birth. Maybe you were even the leader of ‘Fish Club: We’re Not as Fishy as We Sound.’ No matter what it is, most people have been
a leader, from family affairs to community volunteerism. Leadership is something that is a daily use and surrounds us all. When you walk down the hallway at school, if you looked to your left and then to your right or perhaps right in front of you, you’ll spot someone who is a leader in your school or community.
In FCCLA, leaders are more than just a daily term, it is a definition of who we are as an organization. All of our members strive and succeed at being leaders throughout their daily lives. Some members may strive to step even fa
rther forward than the rest of group. If you, as a member, strive to take on a larger leadership role in FCCLA, stay tuned for some life altering information.
If any member wishes to pursue tackling an even larger leadership role in FCCLA there are many options to do so. One leadership position is members can run for regional officer positions. This is an awesome experience; it allows you to plan the region meeting, meet even more new people, and speak in front of larger groups of members. There are 8 regions for Minnesota. The positions are president, vice President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Junior High C
ouncil (JHC). These regional officers conduct the regional meetings throughout the year that include fall meetings and mid-winter meetings. The process for deciding regional officers is conducted at the Minnesota State Conference. If you are interested in running for region officer, you can find an application to do so on the Minnesota FCCLA website at: www.mnfccla.org. The applications are due annually and will be reachable on the website later in the year.
Members are also open to running for positions for being a part of the State Executive Council (SEC). SEC has positions like President, Treasurer, Secretary, VP of Public Relations, VP of Service, those are just a few of the positions we have this year.
There is no specific age requirement for SEC, but you need to be a junior or younger the year you are running. Along with the position of President-Elect, which is a two year term, you need to be a sophomore or younger the year you are running. When running for this position it begins with an application process that can also be found on the Minnesota FCCLA website. From there you will be given a speech topic and workshop topic to prepare prior to the State Conference. At the MN State Conference is where the decision process begins with your workshop and a one-on-one interview, along with a test on FCCLA information, leading into a prepared speech for the MN state delegation at a general session. Then the following morning you have a closed session with the voting delegates from each chapter. Running for state office is an amazing experience from start to finish and we encourage members to take part in this amazing opportunity.
One more office that is available for members to run for is the National Executive Council (NEC).
This is comprised of 10 members throughout the United States. Running for NEC is good for members with a few years of experience in FCCLA and also a diversity of different leadership positions throughout their youth. When running for National Officer Candidate (NOC), Minnesota has max of two candidates from our state who can run. This is decided at State Conference as to who will be the NOC for Minnesota through a speech presented to the delegation and also to the closed group of voting delegates. Once decided candidates prepare for a lengthy test asking a wide variety of questions about FCCLA. The candidates attend the National Leadership Conference, where the voting process begins. Candidates also present a prepared speech at the National Leadership Conference, take a test, have an interview, and a networking meeting, along with participating in other things throughout the week. By the weeks end, 10 new national officers are elected.
Many people claim that running for a leadership position from chapter to national office is a life-changing experience and the only regret would to not give it a shot! This statement I can completely agree with, and I encourage every FCCLA member to try their very best and assume a leadership position in FCCLA, you won’t regret it!
Written by Hope Norenberg, Vice President of Public Relations
