Washington D.C. — On July 9th at 12:30pm our Reporter, Wyatt Lesmeister, landed in Washington D.C. to attend Week 5 of the National FFA’s Washington Leadership Conference. “WLC inspires FFA members to become changemakers in their communities. Each day of the conference focuses on a different principle taught through the context of our nation’s capital. These principles include exploration, encouragement, advocacy and service. At the end of the week, members leave with a Living to Serve Plan they can implement in their communities” (National FFA Website).
The first day of the conference focused on the overall goal of being a Changemaker with sessions on “Our Hope is You” and “Community Matters.” Some sessions are large groups attended by all 300 attendees or in small groups of 20. Wyatt’s small group was the D.C. Racers led by Lana Grace of Florida. The small group discussion was about defining what a Living to Serve (LTS) plan is.
“One of the best things I heard during the session was someone comparing a changemaker to WD-40,” explained Wyatt.
The second day was all about ME specifically “Why Are We Here,” “Becoming a Hero,” and “Exploring My Beliefs and Values.” The sessions focused on defining the steps of an LTS plan as well as the personal details needed of a Changemaker. The day went on with time for “Building Communities” where members were able to play games, dance, sing, or make friendship bracelets allowing them to get to know each other better before leaving for a night tour. The night tour included visits to the Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean, and World War 2 memorials as well as the memorials to FDR and MLK. These memorials showed the beliefs and values of different types of changemakers.
“Getting to see how important different values like family or honesty are for me as well as others and why that is, was something I wasn’t expecting but glad we discussed as it’s a crucial part of creating change. Later, when we used those values to build communities with others that we could then explore the memorials with and take in all the changemakers that are forever memorialized, was a great way to really take in what they did for our country and world,” said Wyatt as he looked back on the night of reflection and rain.
The third day started off with tours of the Capitol and Library of Congress with photos being taken there as well. The day continues with discussions about WE with sessions about “Empathetic Leadership,” “Trust and Encouragement,” and a “Lived Experiences Exhibit.” The sessions help to instill and need to be empathetic through trustworthiness and encouragement which is needed if we want to be leaders and achieve our LTS plans. The Lived Experiences Exhibit strengths this by showing stereotypes those around us face everyday that are simply not true and made us answer questions about differences like; “How can differences become strengths?” “How can diversity enrich agriculture?” “How do we feel when stereotypes are placed on us?” and “What do we lose by being judgemental?”
“To this day and forevermore I plan to remember someone’s quote to the question How can diversity enrich agriculture? ‘There are many different kinds of ag, each one has its purpose and helps make it better.’ This quote to me can really show just how diverse the ag industry has become as well as this (FFA) organization is with members coming from all over the country!” exclaimed Wyatt.
Day four was all about DO with lessons “All About Advocacy,” “Planning for Action,” and “Understanding Needs Globally.” In small groups, members finished planning out the goals for their LTS plans. Additionally, members visited the Arlington National Cemetery to witness the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and did their best to not get stuck on the metro.
The fifth and final day started with a service project to reflect the day’s theme of Serve. The project consisted of putting together meals for Meals of Hope to help feed the local D.C. area. To show the importance of serving, members were taken to the Smithsoian to visit the museums. Wyatt visited the Holocaust museum and spent 2 hours reading and seeing all the history not normally told in class. After dinner were two final sessions about “Take the Chair” and “We Will Celebration” to fit with the overall motto of the conference which is “To do what we can, With what we have, Where we are!” The sessions reflected on all that had been accomplished and all that will be accomplished.
“While visiting the museum I saw Martin Niemöller’s famous ‘First They Came For…’ quote which really stuck with me as the conference came to an end and I needed to go home to be a changemaker. The quote relates because it shows why we need changemakers in the world, to do things others can’t or won’t do in order to make it a better place for all,” said Wyatt as he finished his story about his time spent in Washington D.C.
Wyatt’s attendance was only possible thanks to the WLC scholarship from the South Dakota FFA Foundation, which was only awarded to four people in South Dakota this year, and the Redwater Youth Leadership Fund, which will be hosting their annual Fondue for Youth on July 27th which helps to raise money for scholarships to help send 4-H and FFA members to state and national events like the Washington Leadership Conference. Thank you for all that you have done in supporting Wyatt!
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The Belle Fourche FFA Chapter is a student-run organization in the Belle Fourche High School. It is part of the South Dakota FFA Association, a statewide organization of 5,668 agricultural education students in 110 chapters in every corner of South Dakota, and the National FFA Organization, a national youth organization of 945,988 student members preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture with 9,163 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Our mission is to positively influence the community through our chapter by inclusively engaging peer relationships and growing into the future of technology while upholding the agricultural life. Visit www.ffa.org for more information.
