HOSA/FBLA Leadership Camp

Post date: Oct 7, 2012 11:54:50 PM

This September our CREST Biotechnology HOSA chapter officials as well as other chapter officials from around Arizona had the privilege of being guests at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) leadership camp. FBLA graciously welcomed us to their camp in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona, for the three day retreat. Over the next forty hours the officers were put through various team building exercises and leadership activities in an attempt to increase their skills and abilities.

Upon arrival at the camp we got situated in our cabins and gathered in the gym for the opening session, where we were divided into separate color teams with officers from the other chapters. After we were introduced to the state advisor and two of the state officers, we broke out into these color teams. Each team was filled with people who had never met each other before, and it was here we learned the importance of icebreakers. The icebreaker, which was a game involving each group member's name and hobby, was a great way to get the group together and to eradicate some of the awkwardness that had permeated the attitude of the group up until then. We wrapped the night up with an even greater team building exercise: a color group dodgeball tournament which, not surprisingly, the advisors dominated.

Day two was a mix of fun activities with sessions of serious leadership sessions. The color team competitions of the previous day continued to draw our group together and allowed us to recognize each individual’s talents. As we struggled along each group’s emulation drove them to find innovative ways to work together and succeed. These fun and often challenging events were interrupted by spurts of time set aside for serious officer development and chapter meetings, where we discussed the importance of the activities and we talked about what we could take home from this to help make our chapter stronger and more supportive for its members. The final event of the day was HOSA and FBLA’s Got Talent!- an event that showcased the individual talents of the chapter officials. Our chapter’s very own Charles Chesser, our parliamentarian, won third place for an a cappella performance that blew the camp members and judges away!

The third and final day at the camp was marked by the sharing of color team skits. Each skit was a three to five minute presentation of some moral that leaders should live by or implement in their local chapters. The camp concluded with a closing ceremony that presented the winning color team, who had discovered how to work together as a team and implement all of its members, to win the most points. After finishing the session each chapter bid their ado’s left the camp, each with some amount of new skills or ideas to better their chapter when they returned. Because our organization was a first time visitor, the camp of course was not a perfect fit for HOSA members, but each person took something away from it that will help them be a great leader. We are very thankful to FBLA for giving us this opportunity to join them at their camp, and we are all excited for an even better, more HOSA interactive camp to come in 2013, which we will all be thrilled to attend.