With USU Extension Professor and Youth Development Director Dave Francis.
USU's 4-H program exists to help Utah youth develop a wide skillset by learning about a variety of topics, experimenting with new concepts via hands-on learning, and building connections with other 4-H members.
Recently, 66 of USU's 4-H volunteers, faculty, staff, and teen leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend a conference with other 4-H programs across the country.
Dave is here to tell us more about the conference and its importance to Utah youth.
Wynter Varner
Thank you for joining us today, Dave.
Dave Francis
Hey, thanks, Wynter. I'm glad to be here.
Wynter Varner
Let's talk a bit more about the "Ignite by 4-H" conference. What is it?
Dave Francis
So, the "Ignite by 4-H" conference is a five-day experience in Washington, D.C., that is primarily for teens, with workshops presented largely by teens.
It's a series of workshops that teens from around the nation, plus our military installations, can show up to, and they can and be involved with other 4-H kids from around the state or around the country.
The best part is they participate in a wide array of off-site experiences, including visiting the national monuments and different museums, they get to learn at these workshops, they see keynote speakers, and they have a lot of fun in between.
There's dances, activities, activation stations, all there for these kids to get involved in.
You can think of the conference like having a major and a minor. There's some things that everybody goes to, but then there's five big tracks teens can choose to be involved in: civic engagement; family and consumer science or healthy living; agriculture, environmental, and animal science; STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math); and art.
Kids pick which track they want to go to for specific workshops, and then we have some explorer workshops that deep-dive into opportunities that you just might want to learn a little bit more about.
These include college and career readiness skills; skills around mental health; or learning how to fill out job applications, things that you can use regardless of what your interest is.
Those explore workshops are more introductory to allow you to learn and experience new things that maybe aren't tied as deeply to what you are interested in on a specific discipline.
Wynter Varner
So, how do events like this support 4-H's mission?
Dave Francis
Right now, at 4-H, our biggest initiative is making kids "Beyond Ready" for work and life.
This conference, especially for our teen leaders who presented, helped them learn adult skills.
By preparing their lessons, applying to be accepted as a workshop, and delivering the workshop, they're building those durable skills that kids need (the communication, planning, and teamwork).
At the same time, they're regulating their schedules, finding out where they need to go, and navigating the hotel conference to be where they need to be when they need to be there.
They're navigating to the activation stations, their field trips, and everything else.
So they're really building those durable skills that get them ready for work and life.
Wynter Varner
We know that not all 4-H members will be able to make it out to D.C., so what other events does the 4-H program host that can help teens learn these skills closer to home?
Dave Francis
Oh, that's a great question.
It's true, of the 1,800 kids across the nation that attended "Ignite by 4-H," we recognize 1,800 kids is a small sample of the over 5 million 4-Hers.
Here in Utah, we're organized by county, like most 4-H programs. So, start at that county level to figure out what opportunities exist, either for county councils or county ambassador groups that have 4-H ambassadors.
You can also check out camps where teens can learn some skills. We have contests as well for teens to compete in.
We have contests in various disciplines, like livestock judging and horse judging, but we also have one based on job interviews called the, "World of Work" contest. That's open to 4-H members that are teens.
Additionally, we have regional ambassadors and we have state ambassadors. They represent a wide array of topics that you can apply for. This includes our Shooting Sports Program, as well as our five main disciplines.
We have lots of different groups that they can get involved in and experience what 4-H has to offer.
Wynter Varner
How can families that are interested in the 4-H program get their kids involved?
Dave Francis
The hardest part about 4-H, as we oftentimes say, is that 4-H is the best kept secret.
Once you know how the decoder ring works and you can get into 4-H you love it, but it's not the easiest thing to get involved in at first.
So, start by going to your county website (extension.usu.edu/utah4h/whatever county you reside in). Or, you can just Google "extension" and your county is, and it should pop up in a Google search.
From there, you can begin to see the opportunities that are available to a member or a potential youth that wants to be involved in 4-H.
Wynter Varner
Awesome. Thank you again for joining us today, Dave.
Dave Francis
Yeah, thanks for having us.
Wynter Varner
This has been Wynter Varner with the USU Extension Education Highlights. Thank you for tuning in.
