Left to Right: Ross Christopher, Kayla Collins, Laura Goss, and Matt Christopher
There are several events in my 4-H career that shaped my passion and love for the 4-H Club. My first draw to 4-H was Poultry Judging and later Project Achievement. Both of these events taught me skills that I still use today. Every time I go to the grocery store I can use skills I gained stating back in 5th grade from Poultry Judging. Whenever I get ready to present a lesson I draw on my knowledge from 7 years of DPA presentations.
There is one event that taught me two things:
- 4-H is a club from across the globe and that we are all connected.
- 4-H strengthened my appreciation for our Nation and my role within society.
Back in the Summer of 2005, I had the amazing opportunity to attend Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF). Cherokee County 4-H, had a tradition while I was growing up in sending teens to (CWF) during high school. Growing up I saw pictures, heard stories, and even saw my older sister go off to CWF. Finally, it was my turn to go to CWF with 3 other members from the county!
On the trip, I met teens from HI, California, Florida, and several states from across the US. I learned about how Georgia 4-H was similar to other state clubs and appreciated how our clubs were different. It was during this time that I learned how 4-H can adapt its programs to the needs of the teens in its state, county, and specific club (archery, cooking, science). For example, I learned in 2005 Florida had an amazing legislative experience for high school students.
I gained a better understanding of our Nation’s history from learning about our struggles, our triumphs, and our leaders through Washington, DC’s extensive museums and monuments. Seeing FDR’s monument will be something I never forget nor will walking by thousands of shows of holocaust victims at the Holocaust Museum.
Further, CWF offered classes onsite that educated us about being advocates in our community and how to use our youth voice to make a difference. The classes excited me about how I could make a difference in my community.
There are different events, programs, lessons, and experiences that help shape us who we are. While 4-H has played a leading role in shaping my life, there are events within my overarching 4-H experience that truly impacted me and CWF was most definitely one of those.
CWF is offered yearly throughout the summer. Each state is assigned a week, so if you are reading this from a different state I encourage you to check out your state website to see when your state is going and your state-specific deadlines.
Georgia teens will be going June 14-20, 2020 and registration is first come first served till March 13th. Included in the post is the CWF schedule and GA 4-H Registration Information. Youth Center staff please share this with your base teens, so teens have the opportunity to travel, experience our Nation’s history up close, and meet teens from across the Country.
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