Chad Smith, NAFB News Service

The National FFA organization announced its new Agricultural Education for All roadmap. The plan outlines the strategies the organization is taking to support inclusion, diversity, and equity. The FFA wants to ensure that the organization is a bully-free zone that reflects society’s demographics in membership, leadership, and staff, and celebrates individuality. “FFA is building the next generation of leaders – and the world needs leaders with diverse backgrounds, experiences, ideas, and identities,” says FFA CEO Mark Poeschl (PESH-uhl). “Through agricultural education and FFA, students can take these experiences and apply them in their communities.” Some examples of the steps FFA will take include creating a dedicated inclusion, diversity, and equity staff position at National FFA. They’ll also relaunch the H.O. Sargent Award to recognize individuals who have achieved success in promoting inclusion, diversity, and equity in agricultural education and the FFA. They’ll also develop an Agricultural Education for All immersion curriculum and an online platform to build empathy, respect, and inclusion for others, as well as training educators to be Agricultural Education for All facilitators. Dr. Roger Cleveland, director of the Center for Research on the Eradication of Educational Disparities, has been working closely with FFA to develop the roadmap.