After a meeting between the FCS program in Hardin County and the FCCLA sponsor at John Hardin High School, some risks of low membership and inactive participation in the club were identified. 

Extension programs were then chosen to help reduce these risks. A leadership day to be taught by the FCS Extension program was established, and FCCLA invited their officer team, and then any member who thought they may be interested in what FCCLA could offer. 

18 youth attended the new leadership seminar where we first focused on individual development and characteristics, before discussing how to use those characteristics to create a better group dynamic. Topics ranged from conflict resolution to idea development, to leadership recruitment and member retention. Participants were able to take a personality test, then grouped together by personality style to discuss activities they thought FCCLA should pursue to gain new members in the school. Using a bracket like a sports tournament, each personality group had to create multiple ideas and then fill out their bracket to select a winner. Then, each personality group put their bracket winner into the “Final Four” bracket before the whole group. They were given the opportunity to discuss their idea, why it would appeal to students, and why it won their own bracket, and then the whole group chose a winning project they will complete in the 2022-2023 school year. 

However, instead of just having the one winner chosen, this activity allowed the students and advisors to take home and entire collection of ideas for future retention and recruitment activities. 

The Hardin County FCS Program partnered with the Grayson County FCS Program so that the youth were also able to learn how to take what they’d learned about themselves during the day and turn those into employable skills.

At the end of the day, all youth reported feeling optimistic about the future of FCCLA, reenergized to build the club back up, confident in their ability to take on leadership roles not only in FCCLA but also in other clubs they were involved in like FFA and JROTC. Youth also reported feeling more confident in their employable skills, and in their ability to reduce or dissolve conflict between differing personalities.