What is the Washington Leadership Conference?
Each year, FFA members from all over the United States travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the Washington Leadership Conference (WLC).During the five-day event, attendees learn how to become effective leaders by learning their purpose, how to value people, how to take action and how to serve others. FFA members leave WLC with the knowledge and the confidence to act in ways that help their schools, community and their country.
Students Experiences:
"How are you going to use this conference to better improve your FFA Chapter when you get home?"
Michelle Biete
I am going to help better our agriculture programs here in Hawaii by educating people about our “Living to Serve and Serving to Live” motto. I believe that when people understand that we aren’t just about farming, but also about using “What we can, with what we have, where we are!” they will see that we are a group that wants to make a difference in our community through fundraisers for the poor and food drives for the hungry. At Leilehua we help our community by selling our crops at an affordable price and by educating our community about the diversity of agriculture. Every year we have tons of elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools come visit our Agriculture Learning Center and teach them that this field is very broad. We show them our aquaponics, hydroponics, gardening area, orchards, and animal sectors, only then do they realize that farming is a developing trade.
Chad Sloggett
FFA puts me out into the world of agriculture and allows me to create bonds with other members my age that will last for a life time. These are friends I see myself working along side in the future, whether in the fields or the science lab. Any activity that we have as a group helps push me into the idea of making a living through agriculture and shows me that it is very possible to do so. WLC truly showed me how I can grow as an FFA member and showed me many other aspects that I never saw in myself. I have grand plans for the future, but before this conference they were only ideas. Now they're starting to look like a legitimate plan of action.
Billie Bukoski
WLC was one of the greatest experiences I've had in my life so far. I learned how to be a good advocate for the things I believe in and to never give up on it. WLC has also brought me a little more out of my shell and I feel much more comfortable talking with strangers and making new friends, which is a quality all good leaders should possess. During the Washington Leadership Conference, we all made a LTS (Living To Serve) Plan to put into action when we return home. My LTS Plan was to increase FFA membership at my High School on Kauai. To do this, I will be using the leadership skills WLC has taught me and put myself and FFA out there in my community. I plan to open a booth at the beginning of the year along with all the other clubs offered at my school to introduce FFA to everyone. I also plan to ask teachers, advisors and members to work together with me in getting the word out about FFA and how important it is.