Meetings

We generally hold meetings every other Tuesday starting with the first meeting on August 30^th. At the meetings we will give important announcements about club activity including reports and event opportunities from our Projects (see below) and Competitions (also see below).

Projects

FBLA has three central projects which are often considered the “heart and soul” of our club: American Enterprise (AE), Community Service (CS), and Partnership with Business (PwB). We are still deciding the specifics of this year’s projects, but each project usually falls under a unique theme:

• American Enterprise - Whether it be teaching middle schoolers about business or senior citizens about finances, the AE project usually teaches some part of the community about a business-related topic.
• Community Service – The CS project is all about volunteering to improve and make a lasting impact on our local community.
• Partnership with Business – As its name suggests, PwB teams up with a business to both help and learn from them.

Events

Homestead FBLA often holds Volunteer events and Business Tours both as part of the three core projects, and also some that are separate from them. These events are a great chance for you to earn Activity Points and Volunteer Hours, and to meet and learn from new people. Sign Ups for events will be available at meetings as well as online after logging in to your official member account.

Competitions

Many people join FBLA for the competitions that we offer. Competitive Events are offered in an enormous amount of different areas ranging from Business Related to Technology Related. Placing high in your event usually means earning a shiny trophy or plaque, and a cash prize! The competitive events are held at three different levels:

• The Bay Section Leadership Conference (BSLC), March 3^th 2012 – This year held at Cupertino High School, it is the first level of events where we compete with schools around the bay area.
• The State Leadership Conference (SLC), April 19^th-22^th, 2012– Statewide competitors will meet and compete in Southern California's Irvine. Depending on if you place high enough (usually the first 3-5 places in your event at BSLC) you may get to compete at this four day conference.
• The National Leadership Conference (NLC), June 29^th-July 2^st, 2012 – The ultimate culmination of competitions, the NLC will be held this year in San Antonio, Texas. If you place high enough at state you will get to meet and compete with people from all across the country. The NLC is also preceded by the Institute for Leaders (IFL), a two day intensive leadership training course from June 28^th-29^th.

Activity Points, Hours, and Accounts

Your involvement in FBLA is kept track by Activity Points and the Hours you spend in our Volunteer Events. You get 3 points per hour you volunteered, and you can also earn points by attending General Meetings, competing in events, and participating in other FBLA activities. These Points and Hours may be factored into decisions like the outcome of event tryouts, the member of the month award, and next year’s officer applications. Also, we may be handing out prizes to high point earners as the year progresses.

Your Activity Points and Hours can all be checked online when you login with your online account.

Announcements

Missed a meeting? Just started coming to meetings? Don’t worry, all important announcements will also be made on this website on the Homepage and in the News Section.

State and Nationals

Joining FBLA

Becoming an official HHS FBLA member is actually very simple. All it involves is filling out a membership application online and a one-time membership fee ($11 cash or check payable to Homestead FBLA, or $20 with a T-shirt). Although there isn't really a due date for you to become a member, we can't track your Activity Points or Volunteer Hours until you are registered, and you can't compete in competitive events until you are a paid member, so you are encouraged to join as soon as you can.