WASHINGTON - Wisconsin's delegation to the 78th National 4-H Conference in Washington, DC, returned home from a week in which more than 350 youth and adults gathered to share ideas and form recommendations to guide the future of national 4-H youth development programs nationally and in their communities.
Wisconsin's delegates who attended the conference from March 29-April 3, include Chelsea Vogel, Green County.
This year's theme, "Green Aid: Acquire, Inform, Deliver," reflected today's environmentally conscious society.
Delegates focused on the question, "As society becomes more environmentally conscious, how can the 4-H Youth Development Program aid in enhancing socially significant and relevant programming to increase the environmental awareness of our clubs, our communities, our country and our world?"
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. The recommendations include:
• Strive for a more nationally coherent program, which reflects local needs and priorities. This would include reaching out with relevant programs to youth typically underserved by 4-H, such as urban audiences.
• Develop national opportunities to engage older members and keep them involved in 4-H.
• Encourage 4-H to make greater use of communication to engage members with one another and share curricular materials and program ideas.
• At all levels of 4-H, do a better job of telling the story of 4-H though national promotions and publicity.
• Invest and allocate funds to develop new project areas, deliver the latest technologies to youth at the local level and increase state-level funding critical to their program's health.
With fewer American farms, there is concern for all young people, even some in 4-H, who don't have first-hand knowledge and understanding of American agriculture.
Wisconsin's delegates who attended the conference from March 29-April 3, include Chelsea Vogel, Green County.
This year's theme, "Green Aid: Acquire, Inform, Deliver," reflected today's environmentally conscious society.
Delegates focused on the question, "As society becomes more environmentally conscious, how can the 4-H Youth Development Program aid in enhancing socially significant and relevant programming to increase the environmental awareness of our clubs, our communities, our country and our world?"
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. The recommendations include:
• Strive for a more nationally coherent program, which reflects local needs and priorities. This would include reaching out with relevant programs to youth typically underserved by 4-H, such as urban audiences.
• Develop national opportunities to engage older members and keep them involved in 4-H.
• Encourage 4-H to make greater use of communication to engage members with one another and share curricular materials and program ideas.
• At all levels of 4-H, do a better job of telling the story of 4-H though national promotions and publicity.
• Invest and allocate funds to develop new project areas, deliver the latest technologies to youth at the local level and increase state-level funding critical to their program's health.
With fewer American farms, there is concern for all young people, even some in 4-H, who don't have first-hand knowledge and understanding of American agriculture.
