Growing Our Future: Texas Agricultural Science Education Magazine

MAKING THE MOST OF MEMBER COMMITTEES FOR YOUR CHAPTER

BY: SPENSER ADAMS SUNNYVALE HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURE SCIENCE TEACHER

Committees - Do you use them, or are they just something that exists in record books? Why do they exist? When appropriately utilized, committees are a way to allow more students to get involved within your chapter and ensure that you are meeting all aspects of the POA. They can also allow you to spread the wealth within your organization and help prevent officer burnout. We all have those students who are highly involved but have no desire to be an officer. Giving them experience on committees can allow them to gain the same leadership skills officers do without the added "pressure."

In our chapter, we have three committee chairs that help run five subcommittees/programs each, taking on the format of the Program of Activities. We have found this distribution of power to be the best because it gives more students the ability to lead while also providing some consistency and experience. Also, in our chapter, we have given our chairs nicknames that play on FFA and school history. We have seen that giving our committee chairs nicknames has piqued students' interest who might shy away from the term "committee chair ."

Our chairs are as follows, "Rascal" - Growing Leaders Chair, "Watchdog" - Building Communities Chair, and "Rustic"- Strengthening Agriculture Chair.

Our chairs serve as members of our executive committee but are not considered officers. This means that they attend leadership conferences and state conventions. They do attend our summer planning sessions but typically will not be there the entire time, attending just the parts that are relevant to them. They meet with the vice president throughout the year to monitor progress and help throw around ideas about the events/activities that will best serve our members. They are required to help run our fall student/parent meeting and help with our banquet but are typically not required to lead our chapter meetings throughout the year.

“WHEN APPROPRIATELY UTILIZED, COMMITTEES ARE A WAY TO ALLOW MORE STUDENTS TO GET INVOLVED WITHIN YOUR CHAPTER AND ENSURE THAT YOU ARE MEETING ALL ASPECTS OF THE POA.”

On the other hand, they are responsible for coordinating the events/activities that meet the needs of the POA. This differentiation of duties has had quite an impact on our chapter, and it allows our committees to be richer in their development, and chairs can focus on events and get their creative juices flowing.

We do not have a full 15 committees, as this does not work for the size of our chapter. We combine some of these committees based on the workload and size of events. Example: "The Rustic" oversees the safety, recruitment/support group, and ag advocacy committees. They also co-lead the ag literacy committee with the reporter. When it comes to executing an event or activity, committees are more than welcome to ask officers for assistance. Still, they also can take the initiative and run the programs themselves.

Seeing these ideas helps, but how do we get students to participate on these committees? Again, this is where we put the power in the hands of our members. Each year, we explain the aspects of the POA and the committees our chapter offers. Students can express interest in specific committees or volunteer to fill in any gaps. All students will be assigned at least one committee, but the committees are fluid so that students can learn more about other committees. The principle is simple. If you can start empowering members early, they feel a sense of connection and are more likely to stay involved throughout their time in high school.

Committees can be the lifeblood of your chapter if you let them. They empower our students and give them a sense of belonging and purpose. Find ways to tailor your committees/programs to fit your chapter's needs. Have fun with them and get creative.