FCCLA
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America is a national student organization with over a quarter-million members, who strive to develop leadership skills and address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through family and consumer sciences education. FCCLA’s mission is to promote personal growth and leadership development through family and consumer sciences education. Focusing on the multiple roles of family member, wage earner, and community leader, members develop skills for life through character development, creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communication, practical knowledge, and vocational preparation.
The FCCLA Community Service program is executed at the local, state, and national levels. This program guides students to develop, plan, carry out, and evaluate projects to improve the quality of life in their communities. Members, advisers, and national staff are continually looking for partners with common goals, and Points of Light has been beneficial in creating these ties with a diverse body of partners.
The Community Service Action Guide is a resource for advisers to guide students to develop, plan, carry out, and evaluate community service projects. Advisers are given project planning instructions and templates, in-depth project ideas from simple to very in-depth, information on how to follow-up after a project, and partner contact information. On the state level, State Advisers are encouraged to participate in the National Outreach Project at the State Advisers Management Meeting, held each February. Roundtables are held on a variety of topics, and updates are given as to new developments in the program, and with partners. Chapter projects are publicized in Teen Times to give participating youth a sense of accomplishment and recognition, and to promote the program, through example to all other members. The National Executive Council comprised of ten elected youth officers, also challenges members to get involved through updates posted on the national FCCLA website.
FCCLA is an organization for and about the members. The national staff, state advisers, and chapter advisers work to guide projects, however without the dedication and heart of the members, successful completion of any task would be impossible. FCCLA’s reputation and success with partners begins on the local level where members work to create ties with organizations and/or businesses with similar goals. FCCLA’s involvement with various partners has helped the organization continue to achieve its mission and promote growth within the programs and the membership body.