Voices of the Past

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington along with other founding fathers set the building blocks for our country. These heroic men and women could not have made America without motivation. Youth are the building blocks to America's future, so we need to make sure that as a community we are preparing youth as future leaders with motivation and skills to step up. Skills USA is one of the organizations that helps prepare youth for this.

Youth in organizations such as Skills USA are uniquely prepared to accept the challenges of a changing society and world. While Skills USA and 4-H help develop character, these organizations also offer opportunities to learn about our nations history, offer public speaking and networking opportunities and help teach youth responsible citizenship and leadership.

Voices of the past such as from our founding fathers and past presidents give words of advice to create strong leadership, citizenship, and character traits. Some voices from the past are quoted in the present and hare heard by thousands, even millions of people worldwide. The late president Truman was born in Missouri and spent most of his life on the family's Jackson County, Missouri farm. President Truman was very particular about his farming and everything else he attempted in life. Truman is known for his famous voice of the past, "If I want to be great, I have to win the victory over myself....self disciple". The things that President Truman accomplished through his life were achieved by the use of skills that he learned and the motivation to complete tasks.

 Some voices are not heard by congress, a foreign leader or by millions of readers. Some voices are only heard by a few people whose lives they come in contact with. My grandmother, Mary Helen, is an example. She was not famous, yet her voice was used to encourage her students to do their very best. She specialized in teaching challenged student how to read and used at least ones student's interest in farming to advance his reading and writing skills. My grandmother did her very best to have a positive impact on those around her. Her influence left a mark on those she touched. Her motivation through teaching youth how to read and write gave them the skills to have a brighter future and expand their horizons.

While using the voices from the past, including my grandmothers motivation, I have become who I am today. Skills USA gives students opportunities about learning to cooperate as a team, develop citizenship skills and self-growth. Skills USA promotes well prepared and educated youth to become active and keep America's future looking bright. Being involved in many different activities and taking on leadership positions requires time management. Organizations such Skills USA, FFA, and 4-H teaches youth how to manage their time better.

The skills and motivation that youth learn through organizations such as Skills USA are preparing them to accept leadership roles. My fellow youth, community, future leaders, we cant sit back and wait for thing to happen. We as the future leaders of America, have to make it happen.