FCCLA Member Recruitment

Hello fellow FCCLA members! It's time for school again! Exciting I know, but also a great time for FCCLA Chapter recruitment. Let's get excited for this new year, and have a good attitude for school starting. Also, let's get especially excited for the new FCCLA year and what we can do this year! With the new year comes new faces and kids. That means potential FCCLA members! Are you planning any recruitment parties or any chapter activities to try to recruit people?? There are many ways and ideas for getting the word spread about FCCLA! You just have to think. Get your chapter officers together to discuss some ideas. Share your ideas with your advisor. Make sure people know what FCCLA can offer you, how fun it is, and where to go to find out about the many opportunities out there for you. Let's get excited for another year of school and a new year of FCCLA! Make the magic happen this year. Be positive and excited for the opportunities this year, and use FCCLA to make your opportunities even better! By Kevin Andersen MN FCCLA State President Elect

Bringing on the “Red Jacket Swag”

What’s up FCCLA members? A whole summer season has already flown by and it’s been months since we all saw each other at state conference. I bet you’re somewhat curious as to what your new 2012-2013 State Officer team is up to. The State Officers met in Farmington in June to plan Dynamic leadership, bond as a team, and practice our speaking skills and workshops. Oh yeah…and we also planned our new state theme!!! I can promise you though, you will all love it! My favorite thing that happened with FCCLA this summer was traveling to Plano Texas, just outside of Dallas, for an anti-bullying conference called “Rachel’s Challenge.” Rachel Joy Scott was seventeen years old when she was the first to be shot at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999. Her shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were victims of relentless bullying. “If someone would have complimented me or showed a little bit of kindness, this whole thing would have been avoidable,” said Dylan in a video they made prior to the shooting. “We need to…kick start a revolution. We need to get a chain reaction going here!” (Of violence and hate) ~ Eric Harris Rachel also believed in a chain reaction affect. Completely opposite of Dylan and Eric’s goals, Rachel said in a journal entry, “I have this theory that if one person goes out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same.” Rachel was that person. The kind, compassionate one. She was the first person to find a new kid at school and sit by them at lunch. She would help someone on the side of the road with a flat tire. She was considered to be an angel by all who had the pleasure to know her. Also present at the conference was four Holocaust survivors to share their story about the ultimate form of bullying. Chuck Norris and his wife were also there to talk about their new Kick Start Kids martial arts program. Rachel’s Challenge saves over 500 lives a year because their message prevents teen suicides as well as inspires students to start a Friends of Rachel chapter in their schools. Be looking forward to more of Rachel and her story because we will be hearing from them at November Summit and State Conference! National FCCLA Convention was awesome and I saw some of you at Dynamic Leadership. Next year’s National FCCLA Conference will be in Nashville Tennessee! Also, you can become a chapter, region, or state officer next year and join in on the fun! Also, don’t forget to keep the state executive council updated on all the wonderful things you’re doing for FCCLA this year. We love to know what’s happening and so do other chapters around the state. I encourage you all to write Horizon articles and send them to Kelly Leibold! Have a great FCCLA year everyone! ~ Olivia Wicklund MN FCCLA President

Spark Your Motivation and Ignite Our Determination for what comes next!

With all the planning that has been going on the state meeting is coming together! At state there will be lots of fun activates and of course STAR events. There will be amazing workshops, speakers, fitness fever activities, NOYS simulator and much more. Our keynote speaker for this year is Scott Greenberg; he is a motivational speaker that has inspired thousands of people with his workshops and presentations. He has spoken to numerous organizations and is one of the most popular motivational speakers for high school students. This year fitness fever will have a little bit of a twist and we will be able to see what you ill bring to the conference. Each region president has an activity and they will be requesting help to lead the activities so listen up you might be able to help out. If not don’t feel bad bring you sprit and join in on the exercise and fun! There is a new activity that we will be adding into our distracted driving summit which is a distracted driving simulator; which will put you at the test, to see how bad you dive when you text and drive and the harsh realities on the affect of distracted driving.
During January Executive Council the state officer, advisers, Wendy and Shelly were able to participate in Martin Luther King Day. We were able to attend programs and participate in a march. We started at St Paul-Central High School where the spoken word, skits and performances were presented to explain the importance of the day and the importance of providing service. Then the march took place to Concordia College where we were able to hear Senator Klobuchar and Senator Frankin speak; along with
Mayor Rybak, of Minneapolis and Mayor Coleman of St. Paul. They talked about bridging the education gap and continuing Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality; and also giving back to our communities by providing service.
On February 28, 2012 FCCLA members are once again going to the capital to shadow legislators from around the state. We are all very excited because we are able to experience how parts of the legislation work and we can also are able to advocate about the importance of FACS Education and all the opportunities that FCCLA has to offer. We have sparked our motivation and ignited our determination we hope you have done the same and continue to work on FCCLA projects and look forward to the exciting events to come!

Rachel Eiler-MN FCCLA State VP of PR

WHAT'S Next?

Hey Everyone! I hope your Christmas Break was filled with Fun. It’s hard to believe that it is already January and midwinter meetings are right around the corner. I hope all you members are in the final stages of finishing your STAR Events! Time management is key when working with dead lines.

I would just like to remind you of a few important dates to remember.

Minnesota FCCLA Shadow Day will be held on February 28th.
Applications are due soon
Region STAR Event Competitions will be held in January and February. Check with your advisor for your region competition date.
Minnesota State Chapter Service Award Applications are due on February 1st.
All National FCCLA Program Award Applications are due March 1st.
Senior Recognition Nominations are due on February 15th.
State Conference will be held April 19th through April 21st.

The applications for the Chapter Service Award and Senior Recognition are available in the Advisor section on the state website. Good Luck competing in your STAR Events!

Kelsey Heppler- MN FCCLA State Officer-Rep to the Board

WE RAISED THE BAR AT NOVEMBER SUMMIT!

Raising the Bar is exactly what FCCLA members did at the 2011 National Cluster meeting in Minneapolis! On Friday November 11th we held a Minnesota Summit at the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis. There members from around the state participated in various activities. They were able to listen to a speaker from the Tubman foundation about healthy dating relationships, region officers met with their team and had the opportunity to listen to Trooper Kevin Adrian about distracted driving, and they also heard Rick Anderson speak about Cyber Safety! We wrapped up the day before heading over to the opening session of National Cluster Meeting.
As leaders we put our survival skills to the test and joined in on the workshops, competitive events, guest speakers, and many more opportunities! This year’s meeting had multiple focuses on competitions, skill demonstration events, workshops and networking opportunities! The National Officers that led the Minneapolis Cluster Meeting were: Kaylen Larson, Hannah Wright, Kelcie Sturgeon, Jessica Pope, and Jessie Pratt! There were more than 1,000 kids in attendance from many different states! FACS Knowledge Bowl also took place at each Cluster meeting this fall.
During our opening session we had the opportunity to hear motivational speaker Gerald Jones. He brought us to the root of leadership and inspired us to make the most out of our responsibilities as an effective leader! On Saturday there were so many opportunities to attend sessions and workshops about the new STAR Events, service projects, youth networking etc.
One of my favorite parts of Cluster was the closing session and speaker! John Beede otherwise known as “The Climber Guy,” amazed us with his powerful success lesions and adventure stories. His energy, humor, and message brought us all to a new level of personal achievement! I along with many others were sad to see Cluster come to an end. It was an awesome weekend full of fun, leadership, and opportunities! I had a blast meeting new people and being a part of “The Ultimate Leadership Experience!” Minnesota was very fortunate to host one of this year’s Cluster meetings and it truly was a success, thank you to everyone that attended or helped in any way!
By: Amy Wolff- State Treasurer

NOYS Youth Summit

Sarah Edwards was reading a text message when her car crossed the centerline of a two-lane road and ran into the rear wheels of a loaded logging truck. She died instantly. Angelina Bandino was walking along a road when an 18-year-old driver struck and killed her because he was typing a text message. Caleb Sorohan was texting a friend as his car veered into the opposite lane and hit a truck head-on.
Four of the Minnesota State Officers traveled to our nation’s capitol for a “teens against distracted driving” youth summit called NOYS (National Organization for Youth Safety.) At this 3 day retreat we experienced a car simulator, listened to wonderful panelist speakers, and came together with other student teams and peer mentors (which included Kaylen Larson, our national president,) to find innovative ways to raise awareness of the “X the Text” campaign.
Most teenagers think they’re pretty good at texting while driving because some don’t even need to look at the keys while they type, but what about reading the responding text message from your friend? If dared to do so by a friend, would you drive down the highway with your eyes closed for a few seconds? Typing or receiving a text message takes your eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds, and that’s all it takes. To demonstrate this, NOYS participants got to experience the dangers of this in a car simulator. You wear goggles with a screen on them that shows a road that you must drive on. You must also text a message to someone on your phone while staying in your lane, without going off the road, running red lights, hitting a pedestrian, etc. I was asked by the computer to drive into a gas station while I text. I made it to the gas station, but went off the roads several times. It is very realistic to a texting while driving scenario.
Panelist speakers came from all over the United States to share with us statistics, such as, texting while driving impairs your driving ability more than driving while intoxicated. A person driving drunk is still trying to focus on the road whereas if you are texting, you aren’t looking at all. We heard about new laws and/or campaigns to end texting and driving or knew ideas to raise awareness from our speakers, but most importantly, we heard the personal stories from some of them. Wil Craige’s story was featured in “The Last Text” YouTube video. He was declared dead on the scene three times, but pulled through and spoke at the summit. He has come a long way since his accident, and he is one of the sweetest guys anyone could ever meet. He went through tons of physical therapy, and grieved the loss of his friend who had been driving that night, as well as the loss of his ability to have a job, play a sport, or basically, do things on his own. He tells his story to help end car accidents where texting is involved.
During our time at the summit, the four Minnesota officers created a plan to raise awareness in our state. We hope everyone will get involved and be as excited about this campaign as we are. Coming up in November, we will have a patrol officer speak at the “Minnesota Day” during cluster. In March, those attending Legislative Shadow Day will be apart in helping raise awareness at the state capitol. We would like chapters to use their imaginations in February during FCCLA week and do something at your school to help spread the “X the Text” campaign. Everyone should also be looking forward to State Conference where there will be a whole day’s worth of workshops on distracted driving because ALL texting and driving car accidents are preventable.

Check out the Red Jacket swag.....

Red Jacket Swag on You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saBtMlORDAE&feature=share
www.youtube.com

READY FOR FCCLA THIS FALL!

I hope you have all had a great summer! As school starts to kick off it is also time to start off your new FCCLA year at the chapter and regional level. Get started by holding a meeting with your chapter officers and plan for the year. Set goals you would like to achieve and make plans to meet them. Create a fun activity to bring new members to your chapters, encourage any and all to join. I hope to see you all at November Summit this year, which has been shortened to one day because of cluster meeting that is in Minneapolis this year. Come and represent Minnesota at our cluster meeting after November Summit! Minnesota does not always get the chance to host a cluster meeting so don't miss out. I'm sure we are all excited for region meetings to be starting up as well. Make sure to check with your region officers to find out how your chapter can win the Youth at It's Best Award, which will be given out to one chapter from each region. Submitted by: MN FCCLA Secretary Bryce Weets.

SUMMER ACTIVITES OF FCCLA

July National Conference by Olivia Wicklund

FCCLA went from Disneyland where the memories begin, to the crazy roller coasters of Knott’s Berry Farm, all the way to the sandy beaches of the Pacific Ocean in Anaheim, California for the 2011 National Conference!

Attendance at the National Leadership Conference was at an all-time high with 6,300 members including 3,492 STAR Event participants. Minnesota’s National STAR Event advancers did outstanding, receiving silver and gold medals. Congratulations!

Another congratulations to, Morgan Croft, who served her term as National Vice President of Public Relations. She outdid herself onstage for the NLC Live, performing to the best of her abilities. The Minnesota Delegation is so proud of you!

Minnesota has another member to be proud of. Congratulations to Kaylen Larson, the new 2011-2012 National President! We are so excited to see what the new FCCLA year brings, and to watch Kaylen through her ultimate leadership experience of being a National Officer.

The National Conference was filled with so many different opportunities for its’ members. The exhibit hall was filled with career resources, fundraising ideas, including Otis Spunkmeyer, plus many educational and training materials. Workshops were in full swing throughout the entire conference varying from exploring leadership, envisioning FCCLA’s future, and gaining membership. Also featured were Nutrition/Health, fashion construction, and networking workshops. Members had a chance to learn of upcoming events like the Capitol Leadership Training in Washington, D.C. in October, and the Minneapolis Cluster Meeting in November.

Keynote speaker, Chef Jeff Henderson, inspired members as he shared with us the story of his childhood, where he grew up in the “hood,” knowing what it felt like to be hungry. His life was a constant struggle. In his teen and early adulthood years Chef Jeff spent nearly ten years in prison for a drug conviction. One of his punishments was to cook in the prison kitchen. There Mr. Henderson discovered his passion for cooking that led him to the top of the restaurant industry and to the Food Network Channel. As a motivational speaker Chef Jeff shares his story to inspire others to not only dream, but to reach their absolute full potential in life.

From the closing session, to the gala, members experienced a night of fun with an “Imagination in Action” red carpet walk, and met actors such as “Jack Sparrow” and “Will Turner,” along with “Steven Tyler.” There was food and dancing. It was a night nobody will ever forget! From the hotel to the airport, members soaked up their last bit of California sun and headed home after a successful 2011 National Conference.

MN FCCLA Candidate is new National FCCLA President!

Minnesota candidate for national office was selected National FCCLA President by the 6300 delegates at the National FCCLA conference in Anaheim. Kaylen Larson was a state officer in 2010-2011 and was representing MN FCCLA as our candidate for national FCCLA office. She gained this position by taking a written test, interview with the election committee, doing a speech and surviving a couple of steps with voting delegates who made the selections on July 13. Kaylen will be in office until July 2012 with the other 9 officers chosen.

Minnesota FCCLA successes at National Conference in Anaheim!

Minnesota FCCLA members had much to cheer about as Morgan Croft completed her year as National Vice President of Public Relations, STAR Event participants earned medals and national candidate Kaylen Larson was elected the new National FCCLA President. MN FCCLA was well represented by the 178 delegates and chaperones. Congratulations everyone! Well done!

SERVICE FOCUS WITH GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY

Semester of Service
Everyone knows that Martin Luther King Jr. Day takes place on the third Monday in January. Martin Luther King Jr. Day also marks the kickoff for Youth Service America’s Semester of Service. Minnesota FCCLA has been involved for many years with Youth Service America’s program Global Youth Service Day, but this year we are expanding our involvement to cover the entire Semester of Service. But what is a Semester of Service? Like Global Youth Service Day, Semester of Service is a time for service learning projects, except Semester of Service starts on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and continues through Global Youth Service Day on April 17th. This is a great time to get your chapter involved in service projects and learn while doing it. The Executive Council recently began our own Semester of Service with our projects on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We took part in the rallies at St Paul Central High School and Concordia College and also the March between the two locations. After the rallies, we proceeded to Second Harvest Heartland, a hunger relief organization. There we packaged food to be sent to food shelves and those in need. We were also lucky enough to take part in the Hunger 101 course that is offered by Second Harvest Heartland. This 90-minute workshop was an eye opening experience that showed us how tough it can be to find healthy and affordable food on a tight budget. Our day was filled with service learning and fun, but it is just the beginning to Semester of Service. With over two months to work, we will be able to achieve great things. So start a service-learning project with your chapter and help make a difference.
Lucas Koch – Vice President of Resource and Development

TEEN DRIVING SAFETY!!

Time for a few FACTS

Have you heard about a teen who died in a car accident? Do you know someone who drives and uses their cell phone during the drive time? These are issues that the National FCCLA Program called FACTS deals with. The FCCLA national program Families Acting for Community and Traffic Safety (FACTS), deals with the issue of teen driver safety. I am a member of the National Organization for Youth Safety (NOYS) Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Leadership Team based out of Washington, D.C. As a part of this, I was granted the opportunity to spend some time at the Department of Transportation (DOT) in September. I then went on to attend the DOT's Distracted Driving Summit where I met Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. A few weeks later, I returned to D.C. to speak at a press conference for the Safe Teen And Novice Driver Uniform Protection (STANDUP) Act. After the conference, I met with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota as well as a representative from Jim Oberstar's office and a representative from Tim Walz's office. Upon returning to my hometown, I was invited to speak about my work on distracted driving at a campaigning event for MN Senator LeRoy Stumpf and former MN Representative Bernie Lieder. In coalition with Teen Driver Safety Week, my FCCLA chapter did a FACTS project that consisted of a week of distracted driving related activities. I have a lot of plans to continue my efforts including an X the TXT pledge campaign, another trip to Washington, D.C. in January, hosting a local distracted driving summit, meeting with a representative from U.S. Senator Al Franken's office (maybe even Senator Franken himself?!) and meeting with a representative from U.S. Representative Collin Peterson's office. I also am now apart of the Teen Safety State Coalition being put together by the National Safety Council and The Allstate Foundation. I was just recently informed that the DOT has arranged for the NOYS team to tour the White House in January as well as job shadow a legislature at the DOT! So how can you get involved? There are many FACTS projects you and/or your chapter can put on including: Smarties and Dum Dums seat belt checks, your very own X the TXT pledge campaign, putting up signs and posters around your school, texting while driving golf cart simulations, morning announcements with shocking statistics, and many many more! Get creative! Don't hesitate to ask your advisor, local police department, teachers, parents, or even me to assist you with your ideas or taking action on them. Just think, more than 80,000 people have been killed in the past ten years due to a motor vehicle crash involving a teenage driver; that's enough to fill Target Field twice!

Kaylen –State FCCLA Vice President for Community Service

Spread the Holiday Spirit!

The holidays are almost here! This is a great time of year to help others and give back to the community. So what does FCCLA have to do with this? Coordinating a Community Service STAR Event and collecting canned goods for food shelves is an awesome way to show others that youth of today care. You could also organize a chapter holiday party and, instead of bringing gifts, bring a donation for a local organization that helps those in need or a donation for Children’s Miracle Network, this year’s National Outreach Project. It’s also a great time to get involved with your local gift exchange program for those who don’t have money to buy gifts, such as the Giving or Angel Tree. Don’t forget about the elderly in your community either! They love it when youth come to visit! In helping others this holiday season you are truly showing them that the youth of today, and FCCLA, really do care.
Submitted by Jacqui -Rep to the Board

A GREAT YEAR UNDERWAY

Now that everyone has had a chance to get settled into school, we’re already off and running with so many FCCLA projects – it’s really an exciting year to be a part of FCCLA! As we’re finishing up all of our Fall Region Meetings, we’re all getting ready for November Summit and possibly even a National Cluster Meeting. I encourage all FCCLA members to attend November Summit and, If possible, consider looking into one of those three National Cluster Meetings (Charlotte, North Carolina, Albuquerque, New Mexico, or St. Louis, Missouri). It’s been a great start to an excellent year; I’m excited to hear about what you’ve all been doing in your schools and regions thus far!
Have a great year everybody!
Submitted by Taylor – State Treasurer – MN FCCLA

SCHOOL!!!

Get into the swing of FCCLA!
Many of you are already back to school. Some people think of it as a bad thing. Your summer of fun is over and now it's time to sit in a desk and listen to a teacher, but school can be so much more than that. It's a time that let's you see your friends, learn for your future, and get back into the swing of FCCLA! As you try to manage all the different things in your life remember to be thinking about your roles in FCCLA. Whether it's a Region Officer role, chapter officer, State Peer Ed Team, your STAR Event, or all of the above. Make sure to keep your grades up too because with failing grades you won't be able to fulfill your roles in FCCLA. Make sure with all of these things you have fun while doing them. Good luck with this fun and exciting year.

Blog submitted by Kole- State Secretary- MN FCCLA

CAMPOPLOLY- Leadership training

Campopoly

All of Minnesota’s finest youth leaders attended the CAMPOPOLY on July 28-29!. Leadership training took on the Monopoly themed Campopoly. The Region Officers, State Peer Ed. Team, and Chapter Leaders worked on the fall region conference plans, demonstrated roundtable workshops on their project area, and learned valuable leadership necessities from Leadership Expert and Motivational Speaker Rhett Laubach. The members all had a successful time with all of the different sessions and meetings. Congratulations to all of the Campoply attendees.
The Region Officers and their advisors had either a conference call or on site meeting with members of the state staff. These meetings were in order to put in place many of the plans for the Region Fall Conference, such as time and place, and the speaker. I hope that all members and chapters will attend their respective Region Fall Conference.

Blog submitted by Skylar –MN FCCLA State President-Elect

MN FCCLA Members are SUCCESSFUL at National FCCLA Conference!

Minnesota FCCLA chapters and individuals achieved many National FCCLA GOLD and SIVER STAR Medals for STAR Events, and we also had several national winners for Awards for program areas in Chicago in July. MN FCCLA candidate and 2010-2011 State Officer Morgan Croft was elected National VP of Public Relations! Way to go MN FCCLA!

Summer FCCLA activities in full swing!

FCCLA is in full gear! To start the summer off, state officers and advisors met to discuss the new state theme that will be revealed in the coming month. The state officers are excited as ever and can’t wait to share the new state theme along with other exciting plans for this year.

Next item on our agenda…the National Leadership Conference in Chicago! Minnesota will be well represented in the Windy City with STAR Event participants, officers, advisors, state staff, and even a national officer candidate. FCCLA members will gather from across the nation to celebrate FCCLA’s 65 years of leadership and success. A few highlights of the conference include a 4th of July event, national officer elections, a new event called Career Explorations, and the FCCLA Gala.

Comments from Hannah -State FCCLA Secretary

STATE FCCLA CONFERENCE!

Registration has been adding up for the annual FCCLA conference! It will be BIGGER than last year! More STAR Events! More delegates for an action-packed and fun 3 days. Make sure you are ready to enjoy the motivating speakers, workshops and training sessions and lots of fun! Celebrate the upcoming 65th anniversary with your members and alumni coming back. Particiate in the Miracle minutes and see pie in the eye on Friday night for State President Mariah or our Executive Director! It'll be cool!