PARENTS, DECA IS THE KEY TO YOUR TEENAGER’S CAREER SUCCESS.

If your teenager is looking for an activity with benefits that last long after high school days are over, DECA, an Association of Marketing Students, offers the kind of practical experience and leadership opportunities that he or she cannot get anywhere else. Its co–curricular program provides tools that teach the practical skills of career preparation, encourage exploration of career fields and provide experience in the world of work. Here is what DECA can add to your student’s education:

Future Planning

DECA focuses the student on defining his/her college and career goals and emphasizes the relevance of core studies. More than any other program, DECA, along with a marketing education course, takes English, math, science, economics and other areas of study and applies the skills learned in those classes to real world situations.

Relationship Building/Networking

With 180,000 student members in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Germany, Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico, your student has a strong network of friends and mentors who are focused on positive, worthwhile projects. Whether through a local chapter activity, at a state/provincial or international conference, or via the DECA Web site, relationships that are formed through interaction with like–minded DECA members can last a lifetime.

Leadership/Recognition

DECA offers every member the chance to become recognized as a leader. Leadership training exists at each major DECA venue. Opportunities to demonstrate leadership traits take a multitude of forms – from team–building group exercises to event planning; from holding office at the local, state/provincial or national level to winning an individual or team competition.

Résumé Enhancement

High school can be so much more than just classes and sports. Colleges and businesses want to see that students have a well–rounded foundation on which to build their academic or professional careers. Because DECA members have developed business and leadership skills, participated in community service projects and perfected their talents through competitions, their college applications and Résumé’s are a cut above the rest.

Scholarships

DECA awards more than $200,000 in scholarships each year. The road each student travels through DECA leadership and competition leads to the chance for monetary awards contributed by DECA’s many supportive National Advisory Board members. Major companies such as JCPenney and Safeway show their faith in DECA members by sponsoring these scholarship opportunities as do colleges and universities such as Johnson & Wales and Northwood.

Work Experience

Students can get practical experience in the business world in a variety of ways through DECA and their high school marketing program. They role–play actual workplace situations in the classroom and in DECA competitions; they can participate in DECA online business simulations; they can get work experience through school–based enterprises; and they can take advantage of cooperative training programs or the relationship DECA has built with local companies to obtain a part–time job.

Citizenship

DECA members learn what it takes to make a difference to society. Civic Consciousness is not just a point of the DECA Diamond; community service is a major theme throughout the co–curricular material provided by DECA. Making the world a better place for all of its citizens can start as small as a DECA–sponsored school clean-up day or be as big as DECA nationwide chapters’ annual contribution of more than $500,000 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

DECA’s competitive events program motivates, challenges and inspires members to apply what they have learned to practical business situations. DECA’s leadership programs develop your student’s talents and capabilities into qualities that will carry him or her into a successful future. To find out more about DECA, speak to the high school’s DECA Advisor or visit www.deca.org.