ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Nearly 600 young people descended on State College, Pa., during the last weekend of January. They were all in town for the Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference or Junior Leadership Conference. Five youth from Lehigh County participated including Emily Mittl of Kempton, Liana Panik of Emmaus, Sophia Vargas of Germansville, Ian Royer of Schnecksville and Kaytlin Dietrich of Kempton. The weekend is an opportunity for 4-H’ers to come together for leadership training, networking and learning experiences.
The weekend, themed “LAUNCH: Leaders All Unite For Necessary Change to Happen,” kicked off with welcome addresses by the Director of Pennsylvania 4-H Dr. Joshua Rice, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, State Dairy Princess Yvonne Longenecker and Alternate Dairy Princess Gretchen Little. Dauphin County 4-H alumnus Tyler Shaw gave the opening keynote address. Youth member Ian Royer led a virtual experience as part of the opening program.
Saturday was a full day of leadership workshops for the 13-18 year old attendees of the leadership conference. Those workshops included topics such as goal setting, interview skills, conflict resolution, parliamentary procedure, stress management and more.
While the older teens were attending these workshops, the Junior Conference convened for the 10-13 year olds. This is a one-day version of the larger conference to give younger members a small glimpse into what they can expect to see when they are older. Workshops like public speaking, dress for success, how to be a club officer and bullying prevention were presented to this very enthusiastic group of budding 4-H’ers.
One of the highlights of the Conference is always the keynote speakers.
To accompany the space theme of the conference, the juniors were able to take part in a Q&A with Slade Peters, a Test Engineer for NASA.
Both delegations were blessed by the presence of Appiah Boateng, the Director of 4-H Ghana, who spoke about the program in his country and how inspired he was to be able to witness this large leadership event.
Saturday keynote Matt Bellace entertained the older teens with his comedy and message about finding natural highs — those traits that make young people feel empowered to make positive change in their lives and communities.
The event concluded on Sunday with an ode to 4-H service.
Brandon Rumbaugh, a Marine and Pennsylvania native who lost both legs in an IED explosion while deployed, shared his story with the captive audience. His story exemplified leadership, service and strength to take what life puts in your way.
Delegates were also recognized on Sunday for shoes they had collected for the Pennsylvania 4-H Statewide Service Project, Shoebox Recycling. To find out more, visit http://extension.psu.edu/4-h/state-council/statewide-service-project.
The Penn State Collegiate 4-H Club also addressed and thanked the attendees for the donations they provided to benefit 4-H families impacted by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Collegiate 4-H member, Alondra Valentin, who is from Puerto Rico, talked about the conditions her family, friends and neighbors are still facing months after the storm. At least 10 large boxes of donations from Pennsylvania 4-H’ers, including hygiene, food and clothing items, along with letters and drawings prepared by the Junior conferences attendees, will be delivered to the 4-H headquarters in Puerto Rico.
The Pennsylvania 4-H State Council — a premier group of young people selected from around the state to be the official spokespeople for the Pennsylvania 4-H program — in conjunction with the Pennsylvania 4-H State Office, coordinated the weekend event.
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a community of more than 6 million young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. More information about 4-H can be found online at http://extension.psu.edu/4-h.
— Penn State Extension