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KassyKoch
SeniorExitProject
Mr.Scanlan
17March2015
ClubsandOrganizations:BeneficialtoYouthDevelopment

Pictureayounggirlsoshythatshebarelytalkstoherfamily,andwhenshedoes,itsno
louderthanawhisper.Then,afewyearsgoby,andthatgirlisstartinghersenioryearofhigh
school.Thatshynessthatsheoncehadisnowovertakenbyconfidence,leadership,andher
socialskillshaveimprovedtremendously.SheenteredanFFAspeakingcontest,memorizeda
longspeech,andtookhomefirstplace.SheisthepresidentoftheFFA,4H,andArtClub.If
youhaventalreadyguessed,thispersonisme.Beinginvolvedinalloftheseclubshasmademe
whoIamtoday.Inowhavetogetinfrontofmanypeopleandgivespeeches,talkabout
accomplishments,bealeader,arolemodel,butalsoencourageotherstobethebesttheyare.I
wantthemtohaveahugeimpactontheyoungergenerationsjustlikeIhavehadonthem.So
manypeopleencouragedmetocontinueintheseorganizationstobecomethebestIcouldbe,
evenwhenthereweretimeswhenIwouldsaytomymomthatIcannotdothis,Iwilljustfail.
Sheneverletmequit,evenwhenIwasbeggingonkneesthatIdidn'twanttodosomething.I
nowlookbackandthankherforneverlettingmegiveup,becausewithouthertellingmethatI
coulddoit,Iwouldn'thaveexcelledasmuchasIdid.Iwanttoencouragemanyotherkidstodo
thesamebecauseIwasintheirshoesonce.Hearingbothmybrotherandsisterreciteoverand
overtheFFAcreedwrotebyE.M.TiffanyIbelieveinthefutureofagriculturewithafaith
bornnotofwordsbutofdeeds.Hearingmymomtellmehowshebecame4Hqueenand


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wasthefirstfemaleFFAofficerinherchapter.ThismademerealizethatIcoulddothatoneday
too.Gettingtoseemyfamiliesinvolvementin4H,andFFAatayoungagesparkedmyinterest
intojoining.Cluborganizationsaffectyouthinapositivewaywhenstartedatayoungageby
helpingdeveloptwentyfirstcenturyskills.
Twentyfirstcenturyskillsareasetofabilitiesthatstudentsneedtodevelopinorderto
succeedintheinformationage.Twentyfirstcenturyskillsconsistof
Learningskills
,thiscovers
criticalandcreativethinking,collaboratingandcommunicating.
Lifeskills
,suchasflexibility,
initiative,socialskills,productivityandleadership.Lastlyis
Literacyskills
,thisisinformation,
mediaandtechnologyliteracy.Withtheseskillsyoucanmakedecisionsandsolveproblems
ethnicallyandcollaboratively.Youcanusetheseskillsinallacademicsubjectareasandin
educational,careerandcivicsettings(
Allington
).Beinginvolvedinanyorganizationorclubcan
helpdevelopprofessionalandconfidentleadershipskills.Itnotonlystrengthenstheconfidence
thatstudentshaveinthemselvesandtheirwork,butalsopromotestheintelligentchoiceand
establishmentofafuturecareer(4H).
Leadersinorganizationswillalwaysbepushingallinvolvedtostrivetoestablishand
enhancetheskillsneededinordertoenterasuccessfulcareer.Byhelpingstudentslookat
successfulcareeropportunities,ithelpsdeterminewhatitisthattheyneedtoaccomplishbefore
theystartthatcareer.Clubsallowtheirmemberstodeveloptheirskillsandinterestsinaspecific
area,whichinturn,willhelpthemdeterminetheirareaofexcellence.Studentsalsomaydiscover
thatthelessonslearnedoutsidetheclassroomwillhelpwithfutureobstaclesintheworkplace,
whilestillhelpingthestudentoutinasupportivewaytobecomeamoreoptimisticperson.
Learninghowtocommunicateinanappropriate,purposeful,andpositivemannerwillhelp


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incrediblywhentheymusttalktonew,strange,ordifficultpeoplethroughouttheirlifetime
(
Sturga)

.
Clubsmostdefinitelypromotecooperationandcooperativeattitudesamongallpeople,
whichhelpsbuildcharacterandpromotecitizenship,volunteerism,andpatriotism.Encouraging
citizenship,volunteerism,andpatriotism,showsthatthischildisawellroundedstudent
(
Dowshen)
.Humanrelationsandsocialinteractionskillsareabigpartofbeingapartofany
club.Manypeopleareinvolvedinacertainclub,whichmeansmembershavetoconsiderthe
thoughtsandfeelingsofothers.
Manystudentsaskthemselves,whyshouldIjoin,itsnotarequiredcreditorclass?Or
itlookslikesuchabigwasteoftime
,
Ihavebetterthingstodowithmyfreetimeanyway.
Theonesthatsaythesethingshaven'tlookedintotheclubsandorganizationsmuchorevenat
all.Clubsdosomanygreatthings.Theymaynotbeacreditoragrade,butyoulearnsomuch
morethanyoucouldbyjusttakingnotesandreadingatextbook.Youparticipateinhandson
activitiestonotonlyhelpyourself,buthelpothers.Handsonactivitieswillhelpstudentsextend
andelaborateontheformalknowledgetheylearnedinschool(
Sturga).
Yougettohaveamazing
relationshipswithyourrolemodels,adultleadersandpeers.Strongerpeerrelationshipsaremade
andforeverbondedwhichisalotbetterthantheonesformedinschool(
"Psychologicaland
SocialBenefitsofPlayingTrueSport.")
.Clubsandorganizationsgreatlypromotehealthy
lifestyles,andbehaviors.Theydothisbecausetheoldermembersserveasrolemodelsforthe
youngerkidsintheircommunity.Theymaybethereasonthattheyoungergenerationsendup
joining,sotheyalwaysneedtohavepositiveactions.Whengiventheopportunitytoparticipate
innewroles,youhavethechancetobealeader.


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Inordertobealeader,rolemodelandsuccessful,youneedtohaveexcellent
communicationabilities.

Yougetthechancetocreateandformlifelongfriendshipsthatmake
impactsonyoungergenerations.Theyoungermemberswillseeyouasahugerolemodelintheir
lifewhichhelpsthemexceltobesomuchmoreofarolemodeltothoseyoungerthanthem.The
energeticexperiencethatexpandsyoursocialnetworkissogreat(
Sturga).
Yougetthe
opportunitytomakesomanynewfriends,whichhappentobeaspassionateaboutthesamething
thatyouare.Beingabletoconnectwithpeoplewhohavethesameinterestsasyouisthebest,
becauseyouarenottheonlyone,thereareothersjustlikeyou
.
Togainconfidence,internal
senseofoverallpositiveselfworthandselfefficacywillmakeyoufeelbetteraboutyourselfand
confidenceworkingwithothers(
Dowshen).
Therearemanybenefitswhenitcomestoclubsandorganizations.Clubsreallyhelp
whentransitioningbetweenelementarytomiddleschoolandmiddleschooltohighschool.The
transitioncanalreadybedifficultbutclubsnotonlyhelpencouragestudentstostayinschoolto
getagreateducation.Theyhelptoshowextracurricularactivitiesgivesstudentsareasonto
showuptoschool(
Sturga)
Ifyouhavesomethingtolookforwardtoandfeelwelcomein,it
makesthedays,months,andyearsinschoolgobymuchfaster.Clubsmakesstudentswhoonce
feltlikenothingandthoughtthattheydidntknowanything,todevelopasenseofbelongingand
afeelingofknowingsomething(
Sturga).
Membersinclubswilltrysomuchhardertogetgreat
academicssotheyareabletoparticipateintheiractivities.Withclubsyouareabletouseareas
ofthebrainthatarenotfullyaccessedbyschoolwork,whichwillhelpformintereststhatare
notformedinschool(
Sturga).
Youaretaughtsocialdevelopment,teamwork,andleadership


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skills.Alloftheseskillslearnedwhenyou'reyoungercanbeusedyourentirelife.Bylearning
alltheseskillsatayoungeragewillhelpyouexcelintheseareasasyoucontinuetogrowolder.
Membersorthoseinvolveduseproblemsolving,andfreetimetoimpactacademics,and
areencouragedtousefreetimeinapositiveway.Beingabletofosteralongtermpassion,
personalintereststheywantlaterwillimpacttheirlifestyle.Whenresearched,fiftysevenpercent
ofstudentshavesomekindofnonschoolactivitynearlyeverydayandabouttwentyfive
percentofadolescentsjoinmusicorientedclubssuchaschoirandband(Rizzolo).Seventynine
percentofAmericasmiddleandhighschoolstudentsregularlyparticipateinactivitiesbothafter
schoolandonweekends.Byputtingtimeanddedicationintothethingsthattheyparticipatein,
theparticipantsshowadultsthattheylovewhattheyaredoing.Theycreate,positivebondswith
peopleandinstitutionsthatonereflectedinexchangesbetweentheindividualandtheirpeers,
family,school,andcommunity(4H).Bothpartiescontributetotherelationshipwhichmakes
therelationshipthatmuchstronger.Buildingcharacterwillhelpwiththerespectforsocietaland
behaviorpatterns,possessionofstandardsforcorrectbehaviors,asenseofrightandwrongand
integrity(4H).
Researchshowsstudentsinvolvedinanyclubtheyaremorelikelytoparticipatein
scienceprogramsduringoutofschooltime.4Hmembers,theyarenearlyfourtimesmorelikely
tomakecontributionstotheircommunities.Allpeopleinvolvedinextracurricularactivities
developpotentialforpremierleadership,personalgrowthandcareersuccess.Becourteous,
honestandfairwithothersisoneofmanytraitsandrulesyoumustobeytobeapartofmany
organizations(FFABasics,35)
.
Nationalsurveysshowthatthoseinclubsdevelophealthy
alcoholanddrugfree,lifestylesandgreatlyimprovedchancesforalong,healthylifethatis


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meaningfulandproductive.Theyalsodemonstrategoodsportsmanshipbybeingmodestin
winningandgenerousindefeat(FFABasics,35)
.Studiesshowthattwentypercentjoin
academicorcareerrelatedclubsScienceClub,SpanishClub,orTheNationalFFAOrganization
(Rizzolo).
Whentalkingabouttheimportanceofclubswithmanyofyourpeersorfamilymembers
thelistcouldgoonandon.Everythingthatyoudoinclubsandorganizationswillsomehow
impactyourlife.Theimpactcanhelpdevelopasenseofsympathyandempathyforothers,or
evenhelplearningtimeandstressmanagementskillstoimproveoverallproductivity
(
Dowshen
).Whenapplyingtocollege,byputtingthatyouwereactivelyinvolvedinsuchclubs
andactivitieswillhugelyimproveyouroverallappealtothecollege.Whenadmissionsoffices
lookatyourresumeitwillshowthatyouareanextremelywellroundedperson(Rizzolo).Many
studiesshowthatstudentsinvolvedinextracurricularactivitieshavehigheracademicscoreson
statewideandclassroomtests.Bystrivingforexcellencetheymaybecomeamuchbetterperson
whowon'tsettleformeatorocracy.
TheFFAOrganizationusetoonlybeforstudentsinhighschool.ByFFAallowing
middleschoolmemberstojoinintotheorganizationatNationallevel,ahugefivepercentof
FFAmembersinseventhandeighthgradewereaddedtotheroaster.Thisfivepercentusedtobe
nonexistence.Theystillhaveninetyonepercentofmembersthatareinhighschool,theother4
percentareincollege(FFABasics).Improvementsinlifeskills,discipline,goalsetting,and
responsibilityaregreatexampleswhythisworldreallyneedstohaveclubs(Rizzolo).While
studentsareinmiddleschooltheyhaveahigheropportunitytoexcelintheorganizationbecause
theydonthavetoworrysomuchaboutsports,activities,andclassesthattheonesinhighschool


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do(Mitchell).AsbeinganFFAmemberwedoalotforourcommunity.Whenthestudents
learnatayoungeragetogivebackthemorethattheycanimprovethecommunitysupportfor
thatorganizationorclub.

Thecommunityandadultsgainnewperspectivesonyouthasassets.Manymembers

oftenshow,improvedcivicconsciousnessandsocietalawarenessincludinganappreciationfor
socioeconomic,cultural,andgenerationaldiversity
("IHaveAPlanIowa")
.Theyhavethe
abilitytoidentifyandaddresscommunityissuesthroughcreativeproblemsolvingandaction.
Havingyourinvolvementonjobapplicationshelpsshowthatyouareaveryresponsibleperson
andnotworriedabouthavingtodomorethanneededwithoutbeingasked.Learningthesevalues
andskills,likesocialcohesion,selfcontrol,andpersistencehelpstobeabetterperson,peer,and
coworker(Rizzolo).Whenstudentsareengagedinactivitiesthatkeepthemoccupiedafter
schoolandsometimesonweekendsaremorerestraintinavoidingriskybehavior.Iftheirfriends
aremoreacademicallyoriented,theygethighergrades,expectationsandattainment,ratherthan
gettingintroubleandneverdoingtheirhomework.Greaterconnections,attachmentandsupport
fromadultsaregained.Membershaveincreasedpublicawarenessofkeyissues.Allpeopleof
anybackgroundarewelcomeinallclubsandorganizations.Manypromotediversity,but
discriminationsarenotwelcome(4H).
Alltheskillsandtraitsthatarelearnedthroughyouradolescentyearswillnotdisappear
theywillalwaysbethere.Anewgenerationoftomorrowsleadersaregoingtobecaringand
experiencedcitizens,activistsandvolunteers.Whengiventheopportunitiestoexploreskills,
interestsandcareerpossibilitiesandtostrengthentheircollegeapplicationswillgetthemintothe
desiredcareerchoice.Theseprogramsbringpeopletogethertobreakdownthebarriersthatwere


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oncebetweenthem.Greaterfamilyattachmentandmorefrequentinteractionswithparentswill
createtighterbonds(
"FairhopeMiddleSchool).

Greaterpersonalconfidenceandselfesteemis
huge!Beingabletospeakwithconfidenceiskey,evenifyouarewrong,youstillsoundright.
TheFFAmottoLearningtoDo,DoingtoLearn,EarningtoLive,LivingtoServeisagreat
exampleofsomethingyouwillkeepthroughoutyourlife(FFABasics,35).Adolescentswho
haveanafterschoolrelationshipwithamentorarefarlesslikelytousedrugsoralcoholthan
thosewhodont.
ThroughouttheyearstherehavebeensomegreatpeoplewhowereinFFAinhighschool
whoexcelledinFFAthancontinuedtheirsuccessintotheworldofthefamous.Theywerejust
normalkidsinschooluntiltheyfoundFFA.Theyhadthehelpoftheiradvisors,thatpushed
themtobemorethanjustanotherperson.Bylearningalltheskillsthattheorganizationoffered
andthegreatopportunitiesthattheygottoparticipatein,thedetermination,persistence,
expertiseandconfidencetogoallout.SuchasJordyNelsonwidereceiverforthePackers,
TaylorSwiftcountry/popsinger,BrantleyGilbertcountrysinger,RichardTuffHedeman
ProBullRider/Rodeohalloffame,RogerBreskeWisconsinStateSenator(Stair).Thereare
manymore,butforthemalltogettowheretheyaretodayiscrazythattheystartedwithahuge
organizationandusedeverythingtheyhadgottenfromlearningandexperiencingfortheirown
goodandnowlookwheretheyare.
Organizationsandclubshelpbuildcharacters,makethemembersinvolvedexcelinall
thattheydotobecomewhotheyaretoday,byusingmanyofthetwentyfirstcenturyskills.All
theskillslearnedarenotawaste,trustme!Iatonetimewouldaskmyselfwhatthiswouldhelp
mewithinmylife.IlearnedthateverythingIhavelearnedinalltheclubsIaminvolvedinhave


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helpedmeoutasapersontremendously.AsformerPresidentRonaldReaganoncesaid,The
greatestleaderisnotnecessarilytheonewhodoesthegreatestthings.Heistheonethatgetsthe
peopletodothegreatestthings.Beingaleaderissomuchmorethanwhatpeopleportrayitto
be.Itsnotsomeonewhobossesothersaround.Theyaretheoneswhoareworkingbesideyouto
inspireyoutobewhereyouaretoday.Iwantmanyotherstoseeallthatbeinginvolvedwith
evensomethinglittlecanimpactnotonlyyourlifeandfuture,butthelivesandfuturesofothers
thatyoumayhaveimpacted.Bygettinginvolvedyoungerinyourlifewillgiveyouanextended
timetomakeanimpact.Iwantyoutorightnowgoandmakeadifferencebigorsmall.Make
thatlonglastingimpactonsomeone'slife,betheirrolemodel.


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WorksCited
"4H."
About
.CooperativeExtension19022015.Web.12Sept.2014.

Dowshen,Steven."ExtracurricularActivities."
KidsHealththeWeb'sMostVisitedSiteabout
Children'sHealth
.TheNemoursFoundation,1Sept.2013.Web.19Oct.2015.

"FairhopeMiddleSchool."
WhyGetInvolved?/TheBenefitsofParticipatinginMiddleSchool
ExtracurricularActivities
.Schoolwires,Inc.20022015Web.15Sept.2014.

"FFABasics."
FFAStudentHandbook
.12thed.Alexandria,Va.:NationalFFAOrganization,
2002.35,39.Print.

"IHaveAPlanIowa"XapCorporation2009.Web.2Oct.2014

Mitchell,Shelby.
Interview.
12March2015.

"PsychologicalandSocialBenefitsofPlayingTrueSport."
TrueSport
.U.S.AntiDoping

Agency2014.Web.8Oct.2014.

Rizzolo,Allison."PUBLICAGENDA.ORGSurvey:Sports,Arts,Clubs,Volunteering
OutofSchoolActivitiesPlayCrucial,PositiveRoleforKids.".PublicAgenda,16Nov.
2004.Web.10Oct.2014

Sturga,Ron,CindyClark,andMattWalker."Academictips.orgClubsandOrganizations
Involvement."AcademicTips.org.AcademicTips.org19992013.Web.10Oct.2014.