Georgia camp develops future cooperative leaders

Georgia Cooperative Council Leadership Conference attendees from left: Crew Harris, Luci Kyhl, Samuel Weatherly, Bridgette Thompson and Sylvana Cavender with Mary Howell.

Five top participants from this year’s Virginia Institute on Cooperative Education (VICE) traveled to the Georgia FFA Center in Covington for the Georgia Cooperative Council’s leadership camp, held July 6-10.

Also attending the five-day camp, which included dynamic team-building activities and presenters from several types of cooperatives, were 30 students sponsored by co-ops across Georgia.

“After traveling on Sunday, we had time Monday morning to hike up Stone Mountain before the conference got underway at noon and it heated up,” explained Executive Secretary Mary Howell, who served as chaperone. She added that the Virginia students bonded quickly with their team members, making new friends while developing and presenting a business plan for their proposed cooperative business.

Howell contributed by leading “Board Stumpers,” a session that had students take on the roles of board members to provide proposed solutions to real-life scenarios faced by co-op businesses, as well as a team-building activity, “Developing the Leader Within,” where they responded to being stranded on an island while facing various challenges.

The action-packed agenda included field trips to Dairy Farmers of America member Godfrey Dairy, Walton EMC, and outdoor activities that included a climbing wall and mud run that all developed camaraderie and team spirit. Click HERE to see all the photos.