Get Out There and Advocate!
Submitted By: Madeline Wittstruck, NE FCCLA First Vice President
Nice to see you again, Nebraska FCCLA! I hope your school year is going well, as well as your FCCLA projects. From STAR event preparation to DLC’s kicking off, it’s looking to be a great year for our state organization! This past week Katie Patton and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to advocate for FCS and FCCLA at Capitol Leadership. Katie and I also both agreed that we wanted to take the things we learned in D.C. back to Nebraska, and encourage our members to advocate for FCCLA too! Don’t know what advocating means? No problem!
As Merriam Webster’s Dictionary states, an advocate is someone who pleads the cause of another, one who defends or maintains a cause or proposal, or one who supports or promotes the interests of a cause or group. After hearing the correct definition, to explain it in simpler terms, an advocate is a person who speaks out about their cause, normally to a leader. If you didn’t know already, Congress passed a bill that is called Perkins V. This law helps our organization immensely, by providing new funds that we haven’t had before, to assist us in promoting and spreading FCCLA and FCS around the globe. Katie and I had the chance of thanking legislators and staff of senators and congressmen for supporting our cause. You can spread the word and advocate about FCCLA and FCS as well, by informing your mayors, administrators, or even your parents! FCCLA’s word needs to be sent out and known to people across the globe, showing them how we equip members with skills for life and in the workforce, whether it be an FCS related career or not!
So, I encourage you to spread the word to your peers, administrators, and even your parents. Inform them on why FCCLA can help them achieve goals. Get out there and advocate!