Progressive Agriculture Safety Days

Progressive Agriculture Foundation

Teenage youth develop leadership skills such as public speaking, confidence and responsibility when teaching younger youth, also known as cross-age teaching. These skill-building experiences have been naturally occurring in the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day® program from its earliest days -- 27 years ago -- and continue today. Many local Safety Days throughout North America include older youth involved in agricultural education and FFA programs teaching younger Safety Day participants.

One of the many notable examples of the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day experience being taught by older youth is in Danville, Pennsylvania. Since 2007, Michael Shultz, agriculture education teacher and FFA adviser at Danville High School, has been hosting Progressive Agriculture Safety Days with the high school's FFA members, planning and leading at least 90% of the Safety Day stations.

"Teaching the stations give the FFA members an opportunity to practice public speaking," Shultz says. "It also gives them an opportunity to give back to their community."

Shultz also shares that the FFA members first teach their Safety Day station to their FFA peers, allowing for them to hone in on their communication skills and knowledge of the subject matter.

Another model of older youth teaching younger youth through the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program took shape through a virtual Safety Day, when a group of FFA members in Montgomery City, Missouri, recorded short, interactive video messages for their Progressive Agriculture Safety Day participants.

The FFA members crafted safety scenarios using the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program curriculum and then further explained the safety message at the end of each segment.

Through the nearly 190 Progressive Agriculture Safety Days held in 2021, more than 1,200 volunteers involved in an FFA program helped to make farm, ranch and rural life safer for their communities.

To learn more about the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program and how to get a local FFA chapter involved today, visit www.progressiveag.org or call 888.257.3529.

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-- FIND US ONLINE: Visit progressiveag.org, or call us at 888-257-3529.

-- Send a child to a Safety Day by donating today. Text SAFETYDAY to 44321.

-- The Progressive Agriculture Foundation (PAF) is proud to be recognized as a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. Additionally, PAF has a 3-star rating with Charity Navigator and was awarded a Platinum Seal of Transparency with GuideStar. All donations are tax-deductible.

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