Having the chance to give back to something that has changed you for the better is a powerful experience. This statement hits home every time I get to give back and have a positive impact on youth in agriculture, especially those in blue corduroy jackets.
It has been a little over two years now since Newport's Parliamentary Procedure team got a fresh start with a group of nine excited individuals. And after months of studying, deliberating during mock meetings, and taking practice tests, we started competitions. Somehow, someway this group made an improbable run at states, and once there, were able to place first and advance to the National #SuperbowlLDE competition.
Our Parliamentary Procedure Team after placing first at the 2017 PA FFA State Convention
Throughout our time as a part of this team, a few things stay with us even to this day. The first being a much greater understanding of parliamentary procedure, but we also forged a bond that was one of a kind. Practicing together multiple times a week at 7:00 A.M. has a way of bringing a group of teenagers together.
Over Thanksgiving break, I had the chance to step back into that classroom, the same classroom that brought our team so close together. Being able to see eight smiling faces and know the amazing journey that are in for made me super excited. Especially because this time, I got to teach! After some discussion with my high school agriscience teacher and FFA advisor, Mrs. Barkley, we figured that the best thing for this team would be to cover something fundamentally important that I wish I would have more knowledge on during my time time on the team. The result we came to...bylaws!
Discussing bylaws back at Newport
This lead to a discussion and lesson on the nine standard articles that go into bylaws. But first, what are bylaws? Bylaws are a document of rules created by an organization or society that sets a precedence for how their organization conducts business. These nine standard articles set a solid baseline for bylaws, but bylaws can contain more than just these nine.
When teaching bylaws for the first time, a great tool to use is the mnemonic device NO MOME C PA (sounds like no mommy, see pa. Have you ever asked mom for something and get a no, only to ask dad shortly thereafter? This mnemonic device sounds a lot like that progression).
But what exactly does NO MOME C PA stand for? These articles strive to answer the following questions(and more!).
N - Name: What is the name of the organization or society?
O - Object: What is the goal/objective of this organization?
M - Members: Who are your members? What rights do they have? Membership dues?
O - Officers: What offices? What responsibilities? How are they elected? How do we fill vacancies?
M - Meetings: When are they they? How often? How do we call them? Special meeting protocol?
E - Executive Board: Who and how many serve on this board? Special rules for their meetings?
C - Committees: What standing committees exist? How do we make a special committee?
P - Parliamentary Authority: What parliamentary authority does the organization follow?
A - Amendments: If we need to change these bylaws, how do we do that?
That morning I was able to spend 40 minutes discussing the importance and meaning of these articles with the new Parliamentary Procedure team. Attentive and ready to learn, I cannot wait to see what they accomplish by participating in this leadership development event.
And as I look back and reflect, a couple key thoughts come to the forefront.
1. It is amazing how the opportunity to build a team for a competition like this can bring people together
2. There are always opportunities to give back and share knowledge. We should do this more often.
3. I cannot wait to spend my future career sharing knowledge with amazing students such as these eight.
I was truly blessed to get a chance to share a little bit of knowledge regarding bylaws and parliamentary procedure.
Parliamentary Procedure, running meetings and bringing people together. Two noble and important tasks.
