What is FCCLA?
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), the Ultimate Leadership Experience, is the career & technical student organization for family & consumer science education, early childhood education and the teacher cadet programs in Michigan.
FCCLA is more than 65 years old, beginning in 1945 as the Future Homemakers of America and New Homemakers of America, then adding Home Economics Related Occupations. Today we are known as the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, or FCCLA.
FCCLA's programs provide relevant, real-world experience and unparalleled leadership opportunities to the Family & Consumer Sciences, Early Childhood and Teacher Cadet curricula.
Formal Description
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), formerly known as Future Homemakers of America (FHA), is a dynamic and effective national nonprofit student organization that helps young men and women become strong leaders in their families, careers and communities.
In 1945, when the first Future Homemakers of America chapter was founded, the organization's mission and curriculum were basic: preparing young women to be homemakers. As the times changed, so did the organization. In recent years, more males have become involved and interested in the organization. In 1999, the organization's national chapters voted to change their name to Family, Career and Community Leaders of America to more accurately reflect the organization's mission and to disassociate its leadership-building programs from societal stigma that the term "homemaker" has developed over the previous five decades. Driven by real-world needs and changing male and female roles in society, FCCLA's programs now include areas such as financial management, career planning, the art of balancing family and career, leadership development and community service.
Michigan FCCLA is supported by a project grant to the College of Technology at Eastern Michigan University, from the Michigan Department of Education. For more information, contact the state office at (734) 487-8657.
Skills for Life
Through the years, more than 9 million high school students have participated in the organization. Chapter projects focus on a variety of youth concerns including teen pregnancy, parenting, family relationships, substance abuse, peer pressure, environment, nutrition and fitness, teen violence, and career exploration. Involvement in FCCLA offers members the opportunity to expand their leadership potential and develop skills for life--planning, goal setting, problem solving, decision making and interpersonal communication--necessary in the home and workplace.
Mission
To promote personal growth and leadership development through family and consumer sciences education. Focusing on the multiple roles of family member, wage earner and community leader, members develop skills for life through--character development, creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communication, practical knowledge and vocational preparation.
Purposes
- To provide opportunities for personal development and preparation for adult life
- To strengthen the function of the family as a unit of society
- To encourage democracy through cooperative action in the home and community
- To encourage individual and group involvement in helping achieve global cooperation and harmony
- To promote greater understanding between youth and adults
- To provide opportunities for making decisions and for assuming responsibilities
- To prepare for multiple roles of men and women in today's society
- To promote family and consumer sciences and related occupations
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| Future Homemakers of America 1945 - 1977 |
New Homemakers of America 1945 - 1965 |
Home Economics Related Occupations 1971 - 1977 |
FHA-HERO Future Homemakers of America/Home Economics Related Occupations 1977 - 1999 |
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America |