Hello, everyone!
Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador
I'm Vivian, and I am honored to have been selected to serve a second year as a Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador on the leadership team.
The leaves have fallen, everyone is well-rested from the show season and we are excited to begin the new 4-H year.
4-H clubs across Minnesota are starting the new year with meetings; National 4-H Week has come and gone, applications for different national 4-H events are now open and the holidays are approaching quickly.
Let me tell you about some things I've been up to as a state ambassador.
Clubs starting a new year
Everybody is thinking about the new 4-H year, especially clubs.
My club had our first meeting for the year in October. We elected new officers and talked about our favorite memories from the county fair and state fair. We also discussed service projects we would like to do throughout this coming year and fundraisers we could host for our club.
We finished by carving pumpkins and donating them to our local senior living center.
Celebrating National 4-H Week
Each year, the first week of October is National 4-H Week. National 4-H Week is an annual celebration of the impact 4-H makes on youth and communities across the United States.
This year, youth participated in themed days to celebrate this amazing week. The celebration started with youth helping others with a multitude of different service projects for service Sunday.
Everyone then shared their favorite 4-H memory on Monday. My favorite 4-H memory was last year at the state 4-H horse show. My team and I won first place in the drill team competition.
On Tuesday, youth were encouraged to thank a 4-H volunteer, so I want to thank all of our amazing volunteers out there. We really appreciate the time and effort you donate to this program.
Wednesday was my favorite day of National 4-H Week. 4-H'ers wore their club, county or other 4-H shirts.
I loved hearing from other youth about their favorite 4-H project areas on Thursday. I shared about one of my favorite 4-H projects - flower gardening. Did you know there are well over 50 different project areas in 4-H?
On Friday, I spent a lot of time reading fun facts that youth posted about their clubs and county.
Sing-along-Saturday was quite a musical day and a great way to end a wonderful week. I had the opportunity to learn new 4-H camp songs and share my favorite - the best song of them all, "The Rattlin' Bog."
National 4-H Week was a great time for youth, educators, volunteers, supporters of 4-H and alumni to celebrate the opportunities that 4-H offers. Thank you to those who participated; we hope you had fun.
Take your 4-H leadership skills to the national level
The National 4-H Conference is a great way for youth to have a chance to talk to and share their opinions with leaders of our country. Youth delegates prepare for the round table discussions, using skills they have developed through 4-H civic engagement and leadership projects, as well as their leadership experiences in their clubs and counties. They also present to federal partner agencies and engage with their U.S. senators and representatives.
If you or someone you know is interested, please submit your application by Nov. 14.
Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) is a 4-H civic engagement experience for high school youth. Every summer, teens from across the country gather near Washington, D.C., to learn what it means to be a strong leader in their community, country and world. These objectives are met through pre-trip education, speakers, workshops, daily excursions to view national sites, a day at the Capitol with an elected official and a delegate-designed and implemented action plan.
Approximately 45 teens from Minnesota will attend. This trip is first come, first serve, and spaces usually fill quickly. Get your applications in right away!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Vivian M., Carver County
Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador