Keep the Blue and Gold Burning

Let’s be real, when summer rolls around, the last thing most of us are thinking about is putting on official dress or preparing for a CDE. We’ve traded school schedules for fishing trips, fair prep, and maybe even a few well-earned naps. But just because school is out doesn’t mean your role as an FFA member has to take a break.

Summer is actually one of the best times to strengthen your leadership, give back to your community, and live out the FFA motto in real and practical ways. You don’t need a meeting agenda or a chapter officer title to make a difference; you just need a little initiative. 

Here are a few ideas to keep the momentum going this summer:

Step Up in Your Community 

You don’t have to organize a major event or wear a “Volunteer of the Year” sash to make an impact. (Although that would be kind of iconic.) Helping with your local fair, running a kids' craft booth, volunteering at a summer food program, or even just stacking chairs after an event, these things matter. Leadership doesn’t always look like a spotlight. Sometimes it looks like showing up, staying late, and being the one person who remembered to bring duct tape.

Keep Your SAE Growing

Summer is peak season for your Supervised Agricultural Experience. Whether you’re raising animals, running a lawn care business, working at a greenhouse, or making your own jam empire (dream big, people), this is your moment. Take time to track your progress, set some new goals, and try something out of the box. If your SAE’s been feeling a little “meh,” shake things up. Add a new twist, get feedback from a mentor, or finally fix that thing you’ve been pretending wasn’t broken.

Stay Connected With Your Chapter

Summer doesn’t have to mean total radio silence. Plan something simple and fun, like a bonfire, BBQ, or goat yoga. No speeches. No PowerPoints. Just you and your chapter enjoying time together and building the kind of friendships that make leading together in the fall that much better. Plus, if you're an officer, this is prime time to dream big and start laying the groundwork for next year, because nothing says prepared like already having your chapter POA planned and ready for going into the school year.

Show Up and Represent

From community parades to youth camps to family get-togethers, summer is full of spaces where you can represent FFA, without even meaning to. Sometimes, just being present, helpful, and respectful is the best kind of leadership. You never know who’s watching or who you might inspire.

Look Ahead

Sure, summer is for taking a break. But it's also the perfect time to do a little behind-the-scenes work that future-you will be super grateful for. Update your AET record book (you know it’s been a minute). Look into an LDE or CDE that caught your eye. Read up on an ag issue that fires you up. Think of summer as your preseason, you’re training, exploring, and figuring out how to show up stronger in the fall.

So here’s your challenge: Pick one goal that pushes you this summer. Maybe it’s trying something new in your SAE. Perhaps it’s volunteering three times. Maybe it’s reaching out to another chapter to swap ideas or plan a joint event. It doesn’t have to be big or dramatic, it just has to start.

You’ve got this.

Let’s keep that blue and gold burning.