Kansas youth prep for National 4-H Congress

KSRE

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Annual event celebrating 100 years of bringing youth together

MANHATTAN, Kan. – More than 40 Kansas youth are gearing up to attend the one-year-delayed 100th celebration of the National 4-H Congress in Atlanta in late November.

Kansas 4-H Youth Development state program leader Wade Weber said the annual event is an opportunity to showcase “the best of the best.” Many of the youth who will attend the National 4-H Congress were recognized as the top 4-H project award winners over the past two years.

“4-H Congress is a culmination of a whole lot of engagement with 4-H members in their communities, as well as adult volunteers and others who have encouraged them to move forward,” Weber said.

The National 4-H Congress was cancelled in 2020 due to considerations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It would have been the 100-year celebration of the event, which began in 1920 as an educational tour for young men and women to exchange ideas and receive recognition for individual accomplishments and community service.

That tradition continues today, according to Weber, who said Kansas will be sending 44 youth who were eligible to attend the National 4-H Congress in 2020 and 2021. This year’s event is Nov. 26-30.

“It’s an opportunity for youth to gather and share their common love for their particular project areas,” Weber said. “And in doing so, they learn about 4-H in other states. Some even get to interact with 4-H members on a global level.”

As a by-product, Weber said youth bring their experience back to their local clubs.

“Youth come back to their communities and, in the spirit of 4-H generosity, they give back and are able to encourage other young people to take the next step in their own project areas,” Weber said. “In a sense, they come back and they are ‘junior coaches,’ helping other kids.”

“Youth mentoring other youth really is the secret recipe that allows 4-H to be the largest youth development organization, and it continues to shape future leaders for Kansas communities.”

More information about the National 4-H Congress is available online. More information about opportunities to join or become involved in other areas of Kansas 4-H is available at https://www.kansas4-h.org, or contact your local extension office.

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FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS: Links used in this story
National 4-H Congress, https://www.national4-hcongress.com

Kansas 4-H Youth Development, https://www.kansas4-h.org

K-State Research and Extension local offices, https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/about/statewide-locations.html

K State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Story by:
Pat Melgares
785-532-1160
[email protected]

For more information:
Wade Weber
785-532-5800
[email protected]

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