About FCCLA / FACS

NEW MEXICO'S YOUTH AND FCCLA

Middle school, junior high and high school students form the cornerstone of the New Mexico Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) organization. Through individual, cooperative, and competitive projects, members develop "skills for life" in the following areas:

character development
balancing family and work
career exploration and preparation
individual and family health and well-being
critical thinking
analyzing life situations
inter-generational communication
and many others

Because youth is our greatest resource, FCCLA is a youth-centered organization. Projects in local chapters are designed by teens to focus on their concerns: character education, consumer education, teen pregnancy prevention, coping with family stress, balancing family and work roles, volunteerism, self-esteem, environmental quality, bridging the generation gap, stopping teen violence, and managing personal and financial resources, to name a few. FCCLA members in New Mexico are refining leadership skills, protecting the environment, creating awareness for traffic safety, feeding the homeless, making presentations about child abuse, setting up home/school-based businesses, participating in CHARACTER COUNTS!SM and educating peers about substance abuse and good nutritional habits.

FCCLA is an integral part of occupational and consumer family and consumer sciences education in approximately 55 chapters in New Mexico. Over 1,000 members are involved in regular chapter meetings, peer education, community service/service learning projects, and on-the-job training to promote personal growth, leadership
development, and career preparation. The state association is led by 12 officers; teens selected by their peers, who direct the programs of the state organization and provide guidance for the future.

The FCCLA organization was founded in 1945 and remains the only in-school student organization to have the family as its central focus. Over nine million young men and women have benefited from membership, spanning grades 6-12. New Mexico was the eighth state to receive a charter in the national organization.

Eight purposes direct the activities of the organization:
To provide opportunities for personal development and preparation for adult life.
To strengthen the function of the family as a basic 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 the multiple roles of men and women in today's society.
To promote family and consumer sciences, family and consumer sciences careers and related occupations.

The FCCLA network involves youth in curriculum related activities at local, state, regional and national levels. As programs have evolved over the past 59 years, members have found opportunities for community service, peer education, leadership development, family and work communications, and demonstration of skills and
knowledge gained through competitive events.

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