The Source 9-15-2020

BPA Advisor Professional Development Virtual Conference

Updated Dates: October 16-17, 2020

You asked and we answered! National BPA recognizes that student growth and leadership development starts with their local advisor and/or other local educator influences. That is why BPA is excited to announce a brand new Advisor Professional Development Conference as part of our continued educational enrichment and year-round development offerings. Sponsored by AICPA, this conference will provide hands-on workshops, educational enrichment, networking and best practice idea exchange. The BPA Advisors Professional Development Conference will also offer advisor attendees the opportunity to earn up to 10 hours of Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

In order to help reduce the financial burden on our advisors and to adjust for the fact that many school districts are starting later than normal, the National Center has lowered the standard registration fee to $25 and has also moved the conference back to October 16th and 17th.

With a robust agenda and some incredible value-add opportunities, this virtual conference will have something for everyone. In addition, all registered advisors will have the opportunity to select a free MindEdge Course from one of the following courses shared below during the checkout process:

  • Introduction to Critical Thinking (normal cost is $95) — This introductory-level course is designed to help learners define and identify critical thinking and reasoning skills, and developing those skills in the process. 
  • Personal Creativity (normal cost is $79) — Through tools and exercises drawn from Adrian Brown’s book, “Creativity & Innovation”, this course seeks to help unlock the creativity within individuals. 
  • Creativity in Teams and Organizations (normal cost is $79) — Spurring creativity in teams could be the difference between a successful team and an unsuccessful one. This course looks at unlocking this process in teams and organizations. 

Conference session highlights include but are not limited to: 

  • Industry certifications
  • BPA Advocacy and Awareness
  • Standards and Alignment
  • Human Intelligence
  • and much more!

To see the full agenda and register, visit: http://bit.ly/advisorconference.

Facebook Offers Free Webinar Series for BPA Advisors

Are you looking for new content, tools, case studies, and approaches to use in your classroom? 

Join us on September 24th at 12:00 PM ET for Facebook Blueprint’s webinar Social Media Marketing: Understand and Engage with Your Audience for a training session in Facebook’s free digital marketing skills training resources for both remote and in-person learning. The webinar session will include a deep dive into Facebook Blueprint’s Educators Portal and how to integrate Facebook digital marketing skills into existing curricula. The portal provides real-world marketing experience and prepares students for a Facebook Blueprint Digital Marketing Associate Certification, which is an industry identifier of marketing proficiency when entering the workforce.

Sign up for your free webinar session.

Importing Torch Award Resumes

We are happy to announce that you can now import your student members' Torch Award Resumes from the 2019-2020 membership year. Please know that if any of your students achieved the Ambassador Torch Award last year, you will not be able to import their resume, as once a student achieves this award, there Torch Resume is reset and they must start fresh if they are participating in the Torch Awards Program again. We have created a video that outlines the instructions on how to complete the import process, which you can watch by visiting https://bpa-1.wistia.com/medias/qxvc689x6e.

New Program Activities Added to Torch Awards Program

The National Officers are proud to present updates to the Torch Awards Program activities.
 
The team has added 19 new Torch activities this membership year based on membership feedback. All Torch activities may be submitted as either virtual or in-person entries for the 2020-2021 membership year to account for the current environment. Additionally, all miscellaneous activities in each category may be counted twice. Check out the updated handbook here and start your Torch Journey today! 
 
New Activities include: 

Category Number Points Description Available
Leadership 146 5 Reach out to a BPA local, state, regional, or national officer through email or social media to offer support with an initiative or activity (specify the officer position, method of contact, and support offered) 2
Leadership 147 15 Organize or assist with organizing any activity or event for a school, faith-based, or other similar organization (specify the organization and activity or event) 2
Leadership 148 5 Communicate the leadership opportunities and experiences gained from BPA through social media (specify the topics mentioned, date of communication, and social media platform) 1
Leadership 149 5 Encourage current members of BPA to run for office on a local, state, regional, or national level through social media or other means of communication (identify the mode and date of communication) 1
Leadership 150 10 Participate in a leadership training presented by BPA or another organization either virtually or in-person (specify the topic of thepresentation, the date of the presentation, and the organization giving the presentation) 1
Cooperation 334 5 Participate in a BPA LEADS Twitter chat hosted by @BPALeadership on Twitter and use “#BPAAllDay and #LeadershipInAction or corresponding hashtag 2
Knowledge 422 5 Study the current guidelines for the BPA Cares awards in the BPA Cares Awards Handbook (cannot be used in conjunction with Knowledge 417) 1
Knowledge 443 10 Receive a digital badge or digital credential in the areas of leadership, business, technology, and professionalism in BPA or another organization 1
Knowledge 444 15 Participate in BPA offerings such as summits, boot camps, or conferences other than the National Leadership Conference throughout the membership year 2
Knowledge 445 5 Take the BPA Knowledge test located at bpa.org/learn 1
Knowledge 446 5 Pass the BPA Knowledge test with a score of 90% or greater located at bpa.org/learn (upload a copy of the certificate) 1
Friendship 534 5 Take action to spread kindness and joy in your school or local community (e.g., create sidewalk chalk art, window messages, paint kindness rocks, send cookies to your BPA chapter members) 2
Love, Hope, Faith 627 10 Create and organize an initiative for school, BPA, a faith-based organization, or other organization that focuses on helping people feel happiness and hope (identify the initiative and the organization) 2
Love, Hope, Faith 628 5 Ask someone about their opinion or beliefs on a subject of your choice (identify the person and the subject) 2
Patriotism 734 15 Organize a civil demonstration regarding a political or social justice issue (identify the demonstration and the issue) 1
Patriotism 735 10 Participate in a civil demonstration regarding a political or social justice issue (identify the demonstration and the issue; cannot be used in conjunction with the above activity) 2
Patriotism 736 5 Research a political or social justice topic of your choosing to learn more about other perspectives (identify the demonstration and theissue; cannot be used in conjunction with the above activity) 2
Patriotism 737 5 Post appropriate content on social media highlighting a political or social justice topic (quote the social media post content and identify the social media platform). The post must be an original post. No retweets or reposts. 2
Patriotism 738 10 Contact a state or national elected official regarding a political or social justice issue (identify the method of contact, individual, and thetopic) 2

Registration Now Open for the
BPA LEADS: Fall Leadership Academy

We invite all BPA members to join us for the 2020 BPA Leads Fall Virtual Leadership Academy. This series will offer BPA student members the opportunity to lead, create, and implement team projects designed to meet a need in their school, local or global community. Registration is open from September 14 - 25 and the program will kick off Monday, September 21st. This free program will run for eight weeks concluding on Monday, November 9th.  

During this series, students will acquire and practice essential skills that will mold them into influential leaders. Students will participate in activities that will enable them to learn to know themselves, work with a team, create a vision, and believe in their ability to reach that future vision. The Fall leadership Academy is a free offering to BPA student members and a way to create community as we build critical leadership skills!

After completing the full Lead4Change course, participants will be able to enter their projects (via their chapter advisor) in the Lead4Change Challenge. The Challenge provides an opportunity to win up to $10,000 for your school or community organization to continue the work you started during the Fall Leadership Academy. Students will also receive course completion certificates from BPA Leads and Lead4Change to recognize their engagement. BPA will also award a BPA Leads Digital Badge to participants who attend the course. To learn more about Lead4Change, visit: lead4change.org/join.

To learn more about the BPA Leads Fall Leadership Program, see the full program schedule below!

BPA Membership Registration Open!

The 2020-2021 Business Professionals of America membership year is underway and the National Center is excited to deliver newly improved features and functionality through the BPA Membership Registration System. The new features include:

  • Fresh new look
  • Ease of navigation
  • Enhanced reporting features
  • Increased functionality
  • Improved Torch Awards portal
  • Digital certificates
  • Unique member ID tracks member for life

This system will also now accept credit card payments (including a 3% processing fee). To access the new Membership Registration System, visit register.bpa.org.

There are also training opportunities and numerous resources to help users learn how to navigate the system and best manage chapters. We can't wait to hear what you think!

NTHS Scholarship Applications Open

Since 2005, the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) has awarded over $2 million in scholarships! It is our belief that CTE students must be supported and encouraged to seek continued education and training in today’s highly competitive global community. NTHS has partnered with many CTSO and Industry Partners in a national effort to recognize achievement and provide additional scholarship opportunities to our members.

The National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) is honored to partner with Business Professionals of America to promote its mission and provide three scholarships to active BPA members who are also current NTHS members in good standing. Eligible applicants must be a dues-paying member of both organizations, and further the requirements and criteria are decided by BPA.  

To learn more about the BPA/NTHS scholarships, visit: https://nths.org/scholarships-2/. 

Save the Date for These Upcoming BPA Webinars
In order to dedicate more time to answer specific questions that members have pertaining to webinar topics, our model has changed for releasing each webinar for the 2020-2021 membership year. Please note that webinars will be made available on Mondays by 10:00 am Eastern Time at https://bpa.org/events/webinar-series/. Additionally, a live Q&A session will be held via Zoom on Thursdays of the same week from 6:00 - 7:00 pm Eastern Time.

New Chapter Welcome

  • Webinar Released: September 7, 2020 
  • Webinar Q&A: September 10, 2020 

Advisor Connections New Advisor Kick-off | September 9, 2020 | 7:00 PM ET

National Center Welcome

  • Webinar Released: September 14, 2020
  • Webinar Q&A: September 17, 2020

Advisor Connections Membership Registration System | September 16, 2020 | 7:00 PM ET

Virtual Events / National Virtual Showcase

  • Webinar Released: September 21, 2020
  • Webinar Q&A: September 24, 2020

BPA Cares & Torch Awards Program Highlights

  • Webinar Released: September 28, 2020
  • Webinar Q&A: October 1, 2020

Advisor Connections BPA Cares & Torch Awards | September 30, 2020 | 7:00 PM ET

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Virtual Events: Mark Your Calendar for These Key Dates

  • November 1, 2020 - Virtual Events Registration Deadline | 12:00 PM Midnight ET
  • January 15, 2021 - Final Project Submission Deadline | 12:00 PM Midnight ET
  • March 1, 2021 - Virtual Events Finalists (Top 10) Announcement Deadline
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New Virtual Conference Experiences COMING SOON!

  • Be sure to complete your membership registration so you can be the first to know about these and other exciting programs!