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4-H clover Enthusiastic volunteer Ace Allgood drives success of Minnesota 4-H video project

A group of youth standing around a video camera on a tripod as a man talks.
Youth learn at a video production camp on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, taught by volunteers, including
Ace Allgood.

For longtime volunteer Ace Allgood, video is more than just a hobby– it’s been his career and lifelong passion.

The owner of a Minneapolis-based video production company, Ace got involved with the video project nearly 20 years ago, when a friend involved in Minnesota 4-H asked him to help out as a judge at the Minnesota State Fair.

“Judging is a rewarding experience all around. Not only does it benefit the kids, but it really helps remind me why I fell in love with film and video in the first place,” says Ace Allgood.

After serving as a judge for a few years, Ace was asked to help figure out a way to get more young people involved in the video project.

“The next thing you know, we were trying a little bit of everything…panels, camps and more,” Ace recalls.

In piloting these new program offerings, Ace was ecstatic to find participants improving their storytelling skills.

“At the end of the day, I just want to inspire these kids to tell better stories than they would have beforehand,” Ace says. “Your fifth video will always be better than your first.”

To him, it’s all about helping youth explore their “spark." By helping them further explore the video project, he hopes they’ll stay involved and continue to refine their skills.

“My goal is to get them to come back next year and do it again, because the way you get better is to do it again, and again and again,” Ace says, echoing the experiential learning model, a core philosophy of positive youth development.

According to his fellow volunteers, Ace has been the driving force behind the success of the video project.

“Ace has not only shared his knowledge and expertise as a videographer but also recruited outstanding talent from the local video industry to teach,” says Carol Skelly, 4-H program coordinator. “He always encourages 4-H video project members to keep striving to learn and develop new video skills. The program is a shining example of what can happen in a 4-H project area under the guidance of an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer!”

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