Members celebrate at the end of “Survival Day.”
Cedar Key is a picturesque coastal community on Florida’s Big Bend. It is also a small community with a single school that serves Kindergarten to 12th grade. In total, the agriculture department has one advisor and 30 FFA members.
In small schools like these, leadership is essential. However, there is often difficulty promoting leadership within the chapter. The solution is a chapter leadership training called “Survival Day.”
How the Games Work
Survival Day consisted of seven team activities. The 14 participants were divided into two groups. For each activity, a team leader was selected to guide the team. By the end of the day, every team member had the opportunity to lead their team. In addition, after all the activities concluded, each team elected a captain who was the best leader. An overall “Ultimate Survivor” was also selected, who demonstrated the best survival skills throughout the day.
This year, the games included flag making, a scavenger hunt, sponge bucket filling, word hole scramble, icy toes, tandem beach ball carrying and raft building. The games were selected to combine teamwork with leadership and to show members how good leadership promotes cooperative teamwork.
For each game won, the team earned a point and a patch for their flag made in the first activity. In addition to this, if the opposite team found another team’s flag, they gained a point. The competitive nature of the activity reflects the challenges faced in the real world and teaches members how to overcome them.
Members of the “Goat Gang” dig for letters in the word hole scramble.
What the Members Think
“FFA Survivor Day reminded me how important teamwork, resilience and a positive attitude really are,” says Cedar Key FFA Chapter President Morgan Winfield. “Everyone pushed themselves, encouraged each other and gave it their all. I’m proud of our whole team and honored to have earned the title of Ultimate Survivor and to have been part of the ‘Goat Gang!’ Working alongside members of my own chapter and others from the Bronson FFA Chapter was a great experience and a memory to remember forever.”
Survival Day proves that no matter the size of a chapter, leadership can be promoted. What can you do within your own chapter to make sure leadership skills among members are enhanced?
