Georgia 4-H’s delegation to the 79th National 4-H Conference in Washington, DC spent a week with more than 350 4-H youth and adults from all over the United States. They gathered to share ideas and form recommendations to guide the future of national 4-H youth development programs nationally and in their communities.
Georgia delegates who attended the conference from March 28th-April 2nd, include: Ellie Baldwin from Bleckley County, Kathryn Leigh Buford from Crisp County, Katie Comer from Carroll County, Jerico Phillips from Carroll County and Hillary Thornton from Charlton County. They were accompanied by adult leaders James Morgan, Extension Agent from Dougherty County and Elaine Kimble, a volunteer from Newton County.
Through conference focus groups, citizenship excursions, workshops, roundtable discussions and a dynamic town hall meeting, students crafted recommendations for the future of 4-H programs. Participants attended the following workshops and gained new ideas for addressing a variety of important issues in their communities:
- Jump Out of the Box: Crazy Ideas for Teens to Get Communities Physically Active
- Climate Change and Children’s Health: A Campaign for Our Nation’s Youth
- Serving Those Who Serve: 4-H’s Work with Our Nation’s Military Children
- Service Learning: It’s Fun and Fundable
- The Hidden Face of Childhood Hunger in America: How it Impacts Us and How You Can Impact It at the Local Level!
Delegates also met with their congressmen and senators and spoke about 4-H’s connection to the University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Cooperative Extension. They shared ways in which 4-H has had a positive impact on themselves and their communities and had the opportunity to ask legislators about the issues that are important to them.
Since the first conference in 1927, the National 4-H Conference, known as the “Secretary’s Conference,” continues to be USDA’s premier youth development opportunity to engage youth in developing recommendations for the 4-H Youth Development Program.
The National 4-H Conference is an avenue to help youth develop recommendations to guide 4-H programs nationally and in their communities. The National 4-H Headquarters seeks to promote positive youth development, facilitate learning and engage youth in the work of the land-grant universities and USDA to enhance their quality of life. For more information, visit www.national4-hheadquarters.gov.
National 4-H Headquarters is located at USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, CSREES focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.csrees.usda.gov.
Georgia 4-H’ers who are interested in applying to attend the 2010 National 4-H Conference should contact their County 4-H Leader by calling 1-800-ASK-UGA1.
