Welcome back! Not only is it the start of our new year, it is the start of a very exciting time for DECA. What am I excited about? If I had to narrow it down to a few key areas, these come to mind! PAST SUCCESS

What could be more exciting than relishing in the fact that we achieved record membership numbers, in-troduced the Founder’s Club, developed the new “Be a Hero” handbook, offered several new opportunities such as DECA Goes Global in China and improved our competitive event transcripts all in the past year? PRESENT

The new year presents so many ways for you, your chapter and your members to THRIVE! From exciting chapter campaigns and corporate partner challenges to engaging conferences and a new communications method known as DECA Direct, your chapter can definitely find a way to shine.FUTURE

DECA is transitioning into a very exciting time of opportunity and change. The or-ganization is completing the VISION 2012 strategic plan and looking forward to an in-novative new plan as the Board of Directors develops the foundation for our growth and development over the next few years, including the plan for leadership transition and succession.

I’m sure you agree that we have a great deal to be excited about. This organization is poised for a year of growth, innovation and excitement. Are you ready to be a part of it? This is your opportunity to thrive individually with DECA. I can’t wait to see you THRIVE!

Sincerely,

Jacklyn J. Schiller, PresidentBoard of Directors, DECA Inc.

INSIGHT

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES Get a myriad of DECA activities ready to use in your classroom!> PAGE 3

SOCIAL MEDIANew opportunities help DECA members connect through social media.> PAGE 4

GO GLOBALLearn how you can make DECA an international experience.> PAGE 2

September/October 2012No. 9

QUICK NOTESDECA Month

We shouldn’t have to celebrate DECA’s awesomeness in just one week, so November is now DECA Month. This allows chapters flexibility in choosing a “DECA Week” that best suits their schedules, or celebrate DECA the entire month! <www.deca.org/events/decamonth

Upcoming ConferencesDECA’s conferences are great

ways to help connect your members beyond your local chapter and to extend classroom learning. Don’t delay in signing up to participate in these terrific learning opportunities• Innovationsand

EntrepreneurshipConference — Nov. 8-10, Chicago

• WesternRegionLeadershipConference — Nov. 15-17, Seattle

• CentralRegionLeadershipConference — Nov. 16-18, Detroit

• TheUltimateDECAPowerTrip — Nov. 16-18, Washington, DC

• NewYorkExperience — Nov. 28-Dec. 2 or Dec. 5-9, New York City

• SportsandEntertainmentMarketingConference — Feb. 6-10, Orlando

<www.deca.org/conferences/

FIND YOUR WAY TO

JACKLYN J. SCHILLER

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF DECA INC.

Published four times each year (Sept./Oct., Nov./Dec., Jan./Feb., April/May) by DECA Inc. Copyright ©2012 by DECA Inc.

INSIGHTPUBLISHEREdward L. DavisEDITORChristopher YoungEDITORIAL COMMITTEEShirlee KyleShane ThomasMichelle Walker

CORRESPONDENCEDECA INSIGHT1908 Association DriveReston, VA 20191-1594(703) 860-5000(703) 860-4013 faxwww.deca.orgchristopher_young@deca.org

BY SANDRA TUCKERAs a DECA advisor, how many hours

have you spent making hotel, airline and dining arrangements for your members for a variety of DECA conferences so that your members have a safe and valuable DECA experience as they travel?

Imagine DECA travel in which all arrangements, activity planning and lodging, as well as meal reservations, are made for you. The hours that go into the planning of each detailed aspect of a DECA trip for our members can be overwhelming, yet my recent trip to China was effortless. That was thanks to People to People!

This trip to China was an opportunity to travel outside of the traditional DECA diamond and experience something totally different. I was able to network with another experienced DECA advisor and other students from across the U.S. and Canada who were part of our delegation, as well as discuss global business practices with business professionals from China. I was exposed to marketing concepts that broadened my perspective on the global marketplace, a valuable tool when teaching global economics in the classroom.

Our delegation visited historical sites and a variety of educational institutions that helped us develop a better understanding of why China is such a powerful force in our world’s economy. Chinese people are passionate about educating their children and are models of strong work ethics. These are aspects we witnessed over and over as we visited factories, businesses and schools. The cultural beauty that exists at each of the historical sites helped us understand the foundation of Chinese culture and how it fits easily into their modern practices.

I could never have imagined the value such a trip would hold to a DECA advisor. By taking the daily worry of travel planning out of the picture, I could enjoy each moment of the journey as it was meant to be experienced and broaden my knowledge of Asian culture and global

economies—both concepts that you cannot experience with a textbook. As a DECA advisor, this trip was incredibly fun! I can only imagine the lasting impact it had on the members who were part of our delegation.

My best advisor advice is this: If you want to bring a unique global perspective to your classroom, step outside of your DECA diamond and sign up to be a part of the most unique global experience DECA offers. The People to People partnership is the answer to stress-free DECA travel. All the hard work is already done for you, so what are you waiting for? Register today! The dates for 2013 are July 5-16.

Read more about the students’ perspective on our blog (www.deca.org/blog/174) and in the Nov./Dec. issue of DECA Direct.<www.decapeopletopeopletravels.com

AN ADVISOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Give your members a global classroom experience

DECA welcomes Sandra Tucker to staff

Sandra Tucker joined the DECA Inc. staff as assistant high school division director. A former classroom teacher and DECA advisor of a thriving chapter for 14 years, Sandra brings a multitude of experiences as she mentors new advisors, develops chapters and manages student leadership and chapter recognition programs.

Eight DECA members and two chapter advisors participated in the first-ever DECA Goes Global in China learning experience this summer. They learned about globalization, international business and culture through a variety of well-planned activities.

DECA ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR CLASSROOMFrom lesson plans to dynamic resources to application activities, DECA offers engaging classroom learning tools that integrate the use of technology and connect to your curriculum.An integral component of classroom instruction, DECA activities provide authentic, experiential learning methods to prepare members for college and careers. This fall, DECA introduces a wealth of classroom learning tools that you can easily implement in your classroom as instructional activities that apply learning, connect to business and promote competition. Consider how you can use these gems in your classroom today.

COMPETITIVE EVENTSAligned with National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality and management, DECA’s competitive events are a natural fit to support your classroom curriculum. While you may traditionally think competitive events are only for conferences, the format of the events also lends them to classroom activities. For example, role-plays and case studies make great independent writing exercises, unit assessments and group projects. When taught across instructional areas, DECA’s written events can be a great capstone to a unit or course. For example, the Advertising Campaign is a perfect unit project for advertising and promotion while the Business Operations Research Event may be a semester-long project in your advanced business or marketing course. Finally, DECA’s online competitive events support very specific instructional units and add an interactive element with the use of technology.

WWW.DECA.ORG/COMPETITIONSSHANE THOMAS<shane_thomas@deca.org

ONLINE COMPETITIVE EVENTSFinanceStock Market Game

FinancialLiteracyH&R Block Dollars and Sense Challenge

RestaurantManagementVirtual Business Challenge | Restaurant

RetailingVirtual Business Challenge | Retail

SportsandEntertainmentMarketingVirtual Business Challenge | Sports

CORPORATE PARTNER CHALLENGESDesigned to provide classroom learning activities that integrate technology, DECA’s Corporate Partner Challenges encourage members to conduct marketing research, develop creative ideas and present innovative solutions on YouTube. There are also awesome opportunities for recognition that include travel!

DeVryInnovationsandEntrepreneurshipChallengeEntrepreneurshipDueOctober5,2012Design, develop and present ideas for innovative business concepts that are financially viable.

FinishLineChallengeMarketingandRetailingDueDecember14,2012Analyze Finish Line’s omni-channel strategy (providing a consistent and premium customer experience through the many ways in which the customer shops) and develop recommendations for improvements.

FIDMChallengeFashionMerchandisingDueFebruary8,2013Forecast a fashion trend for Back to School 2013 and then create a look that supports your prediction.

WWW.DECA.ORG/PAGE/CHALLENGESSHANE THOMAS<shane_thomas@deca.org

DECA DIRECT WEBCASTSIf you’re looking for a short video segment to serve as a bell-ringer, start discussion, introduce a concept or add a voice to your instruction, check out DECA Direct webcasts. There are more than 35 videos in DECA’s online library on topics including social media, advocacy, community service, careers, competitive events, chapter events, college searching and more. Looking for a great way to introduce competitive events to your members? There’s a video for that.

WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/DECAINCCHRISTOPHER YOUNG<christopher_young@deca.org

DECA DIRECT, THE MAGAZINEDECA Direct, the magazine, is the ultimate tool to use in the classroom. Delivered four times a year, DECA Direct features articles on career development in business management, entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality and marketing; leadership; community service and professionalism. With questions at the end of each feature article, DECA Direct is the perfect supplement to classroom instruction.

WWW.DECA.ORG/PUBLICATIONSCHRISTOPHER YOUNG<christopher_young@deca.org

CHAPTER CAMPAIGNSThrive with your DECA chapter this year by participating in DECA’s five chapter campaigns —membership, promotion, Global Entrepreneurship Week, community service and advocacy. These campaigns encourage your members to engage community members, business professionals and alumni, all of whom can serve as dynamic classroom speakers and sources of industry knowledge. These are also good audiences for your DECA members to demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge and skills through application activities.

Easily integrate DECA’s campaign activities into your classroom to support instructional areas such as communication skills, entrepreneurship, marketing, professional development and promotion. For example, engage in a letter writing activity for the advocacy campaign to reinforce writing formal business letters, or challenge your members to make video or print advertisements using the elements of promotion. Your DECA chapter can earn major recognition – and possibly opportunities to attend ICDC – by participating!

November 30, 2012, is the deadline for all of the campaigns except for the Advocacy Campaign. It’s due March 1, 2013.

WWW.DECA.ORG/PAGE/CAMPAIGNSSANDRA TUCKER<sandra_tucker@deca.org

CORPORATE LESSON PLANSDECA is pleased to introduce the first in a series of classroom lesson plans developed with the support of DECA’s National Advisory Board (NAB) partners. In partnership with PostNet, DECA has developed a lesson plan – complete with instructional activities, timelines, worksheets, PowerPoints, connections to business and evaluation methods – that supports the Business Services Operations Research Event and other Business Operations Research Events.

This lesson plan is divided into six modules with classroom activities developed for the components of the Business Operations Research Events. The activities are intended to help DECA advisors teach relevant content aligned to their curriculum, help DECA members complete information needed for the competitive event and connect you to businesses in your communities. Your local PostNet businesses also have this lesson plan are looking forward to supporting you with classroom presentations and out-of-class visits to their stores - subject to location and scheduling.

Additional lesson plans are under development with DECA’s NAB partners. We will announce their launch, and you will be able to access all lesson plans from the competitive events webpage and the NAB partner’s page on DECA’s website.

WWW.DECA.ORG/PARTNERS/POSTNETJOHN FISTOLERA<john_fistolera@deca.org

CHAPTERMANAGEMENT

DECA IDEA CHALLENGE 2012If you teach entrepreneurship or innovation, participate in this year’s DECA Idea Challenge! The Idea Challenge 2012 is a fast-paced competition that encourages student teams to find a new use for a common, everyday item while creating the most value possible in eight days. Teams will share their results in a three-minute video posted to YouTube. As an experiential learning exercise, the Idea Challenge 2012 promotes entrepreneurial thinking skills such as how to create value from nothing, how to leverage limited resources, how to form and work in teams, how to challenge assumptions and how to define and communicate results. It all takes place November 7-16, 2012. A toolkit and lesson plan will soon be available!

WWW.GEWUSA.ORG/CHALLENGEMICHELLE WALKER<michelle_walker@deca.org

SCHOOL-BASED ENTERPRISEA school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods/services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality or management. SBEs provide realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction. SBEs can sell to consumers through a permanent location, a mobile kiosk or through internet marketing.

Here are some exciting changes to the School-based Enterprise program:

SBE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM This provides recognition for outstanding achievement by school-based enterprises and motivates SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. The program has been revamped to align with 10 instructional areas and supporting performance indicators.

SBE VIDEO CHALLENGE This new fun and creative video challenge requires members to produce a thirty-second commercial about their school-based enterprise. Entries are due October 26, 2012.

SBE LESSON PLANS COMING SOON!Used separately or together, each lesson plan will support one of the ten instructional areas covered in the certification program.

WWW.DECA.ORG/SBELUCY YOUNG<lucy_young@deca.org

CHAPTERMANAGEMENT

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