The 97th National FFA Convention & Expo’s theme is simple, but impactful: Engage.
Members were able to do just that by attending the FFA For All Experience on Oct. 23. Held on the Student Showcase Stage, this annual convention event kicked off with a message from National FFA CEO Scott Stump about the new National FFA statement of belonging, followed by a series of interactive activities for participants.
According to National FFA Executive in Residence for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Corey Flournoy, the night was designed to encourage students to cultivate an environment of belonging and engagement both at convention and when they return home.
“Our vision is truly to allow students first to come and meet people they wouldn’t normally meet at the convention … and to develop relationships that extend beyond tonight,” Flournoy says.
National FFA Belonging and Engagement Specialist Carlos López says this event intentionally creates an inviting place for FFA members of all backgrounds and experiences.
“The main goal, really, is to put into practice a purposeful engagement with everybody that’s here, which means that we want to make sure we give them tools to be supportive,” López says. “We want to make sure that they feel welcome.”
Former national FFA officers David Lopez and Artha Jonassaint served as the event’s on-stage emcees, bringing energy and stories from their own FFA experiences.
“We’re really striving to cultivate conversations that build understanding of different lived experiences with the more than one million students in this organization,” Jonassaint says. “There’s no doubt people have different walks of life that are also valuable to the rich fabric of FFA, but this is a time to talk about it and to understand, ask questions, have humility and listen, but also the boldness to share.”
Throughout the evening, members were encouraged to have an open mind about the world around them and live out this mindset as they interacted with their fellow members. FFA has been a place of belonging for many, and they want to see the organization continue to be that for others.
“Be welcoming, because there’s some students that can’t really find their place in the world,” says Brayden Blodget, a White Swan FFA member from Washington. “FFA is known as a welcoming organization, and I like to keep it that way.”
The event also featured an FFA Talent performance by Ian Mitchell Edge from the Crisp County FFA Chapter in Georgia. Edge’s original song, “My FFA,” is a personal testament of the FFA for All Experience.
“That’s what FFA is all about,” Edge says. “It’s a community coming together in unity to work in anything that has to do with agriculture.”
At the end of the night, members walked away with a greater understanding of how they can be part of the FFA for All initiative.
“Open-mindedness was a big thing for me tonight, as well as vulnerability and being able to openly share things that I may not have shared with someone else,” says Makennah Bell, an Odessa member from Delaware.
William Penn FFA member Joanna Gomez also left the event with a belief that FFA is truly for all students. “I feel like everyone has a place in this [organization]. Any race, any ethnicity — you belong,” she says.
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