4-H Youth Gain Understanding of Civic Engagement
The Texas 4-H Youth Development Program not only provides youth the opportunity to expand their horizons in career areas like agriculture and STEM, but also the chance to gain life skills like civic engagement, teamwork, cultural understanding, and communication.
The 4-H ”learning by doing” model means that youth are provided many opportunities to put their newfound knowledge to the test in various subject areas. The leadership and citizenship project area provides a unique opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. as a teenager and provide a voice for local communities to federal leaders.
Figure 1: Texas delegates.
Six delegates and two chaperones attended the National 4-H Conference in Washington D.C., April 13-19, 2023. The Texas delegates were joined by youth from the other 49 states in exploring, learning, and working with U.S. federal agencies.
According to the National 4-H Conference website, ‘National 4‑H Conference is the pinnacle experience in 4‑H Civic Engagement, providing the opportunity for young people to connect, learn, engage, lead, and impact their communities, nation and world. At the conference, delegates will have the opportunity to participate in round table discussions and present to federal partner agencies along with the opportunity for delegates to engage with their U.S. Senators and Representatives.’
Megan Logan is an Extension Specialist for the 4-H Leadership and Citizenship project.
“The youth who participate in this event are becoming prepared to be an active member of society, learning how to approach and discuss items of importance for them, and gaining a better understanding of our Government,” Logan said. “The youth learned the importance of speaking up for the things they believe in, how to present on a matter as a group, and how to respect other people’s thoughts and opinions.”
Figure 2: Texas delegates sighsteeing in D.C.
Participants met with other youth, United States Senators and Representatives, commodity groups, and stakeholders. Upon receiving their round table assignments, the youth got right to work with their peers on developing a presentation and formulating their ideas on what really mattered to today’s youth.
“As part of the event, youth were provided time with Representatives or Senators, or their staff members, and commodity groups to actually discuss their ideas and possible ways to implement,“ Logan said. “Watching these youth speak to their passions at the National level is always a heartwarming experience as these youth are truly the leadership for our future.”
Aiden Hunter, a 4-H member from Ellis County, and Kambell Stewart, a 4-H member from Burnet County, haven’t been in 4-H for long, but have made the most of the time they did have, such as being selected to attend the 2023 National 4-H Conference.
“It’s really something that’s unlike any other 4-H experience you’re going to get,” Aiden said. “It’s especially unique being able to work with kids from other 4-H programs across the nation.”
Aiden’s roundtable group included youth from Arizona to Delaware, bringing together a plethora of differing values and ideas.
“What I wanted to get out of this experience was meeting new people and learning a little bit more about how our federal government works, and I definitely got that out of it by the time we left,” Aiden said. ”While networking and sightseeing was part of it, our main goal was to show the federal agencies the importance of Extension programs and 4-H, and the impact it has on local communities.”
After her experience at Texas 4-H Congress in 2022, Kambell Stewart jumped at the opportunity presented by her County Extension Agent to explore the nation’s capitol and learn how the government works with not only other agencies, but also the public. Kambell got to interact with the U.S. Department of Education.
Figure 3: Kambell at the U.S. Department of Education.
“Coming from public school, I truly got to see where my TEEX are made and where the things that I learn in the classroom every day are coming from and the purpose behind it. That was really impactful to me,“ Kambell said. “But I also got to just tell them my experiences and they truly valued that. That was honestly incredible.”
When Kambell joined 4-H four years ago, she attended her first meeting hesitantly after a little encouragement from her Mom.
“I honestly joined 4-H pretty unwillingly. It wasn’t really something I had on my radar or something I thought would benefit me,” Kambell said. ”Looking back on It, I can’t believe 4-H was something I didn’t want to be part of because of all of the incredible ways it has benefitted me and it will continue to benefit me in the future.”
Both Aiden and Kambell described their National 4-H Conference experience as ”life-changing.” This is not only from the skills they learned or the opportunities they had, but also the conversations they were part of.
“For me personally, I do ag mechanics and everyone in D.C. said we need people that are familiar with the (agriculture) industry, but can also be in a professional setting,“ Kambell said. “That’s like my dream, to be that, so hearing that was so encouraging and complete words of affirmation that I am doing the right thing and that they are looking for people that have been in 4-H and that know how to work hard and stay determined.”
The National 4-H Conference Texas delegation will be selected through an application process in early 2024.
Through 4-H, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides an opportunity to youth ages 8-18 across the state to learn about life through the areas of agriculture and livestock, family and community health, leadership and citizenship, natural resources, and STEM. The experiences go beyond the subject matter area and teach communication, community care, teamwork, dedication, and perseverance, to name a few. Learn more about 4-H or find the contact information for your local agent at texas4-h.tamu.edu.