Logan County 4-H member attends National 4-H Conference

 

[May 03, 2018]  Logan County 4-H member, Grace Skelton, daughter of Rusty & Stacie Skelton and member of the Middletown 4-H’ers Club in Logan county as well as the Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team, recently attended National 4-H Conference as an Illinois Representative at the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, MD.

National 4-H Conference annually brings 4-H youth and adults from around the nation to work towards strengthening and expanding the 4-H Youth Development program at the local, state, and national levels. National 4-H Conference is the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture’s premier youth development opportunity to engage youth in developing recommendations for the 4-H Youth Development Program.

Delegates engage in personal development experiences that increase their knowledge, resources, and skills while they discuss topics affecting youth and 4 H programming nationwide. Delegates are empowered to create positive social change in their communities and have the opportunity to practice and apply their skills in a real-world setting.

Grace shared “The National 4-H Conference trip was an unforgettable experience. Over the week, I met with my roundtable to discuss the issue of the shortage of vocational jobs as it relates to people in the United States. My roundtable gave a presentation to the U.S. Department of Labor.

"I specifically covered the barriers that youth come across when looking at vocational jobs. I also talked about my vocational training in Health Occupations at Lincoln Community High School and how it prepared me to assist a man during a motorcycle versus car accident that I witnessed.

"The six Illinois Delegates then met with Congressmen from our surrounding districts to inform them about Extension and 4-H. I was able to tell my 4-H story and how 4-H has led me into choosing my future career. I plan on majoring in nursing and this early training is helping me build a foundation for my future career. Special thanks to 4-H for my health project experience leading me to this education in our community.”

Further information about the National 4-H Conference can be found at: https://4-h.org/parents/national-4-h-conference/

For further information about 4-H contact the Logan County 4-H Office at 732-8289.

About 4-H: Illinois 4-H strives to help youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H aims to impact the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming.

[Patty Huffer
Extension Program Coordinator
University of Illinois Extension]