Chester County 4-H Youth Gain Leadership Skills at State 4-H Conference

Nearly 700 Pennsylvania 4-H members, part of Penn State Extension's 4-H Youth Development program, gathered to network and enhance their leadership skills during the 2020 Pennsylvania 4-H State Leadership Conference from January 31 to February 2, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College, Pennsylvania.

County 4-H members from across the state participated in workshops designed and delivered by 4-H educators, Penn State University faculty, and special invited speakers. Workshops included topics that encouraged youth to build their skills in public speaking, teambuilding, conflict resolution, and communicating through social media. Youth who attend the conference are current and future leaders in their communities, schools, and 4-H pursuits.

The delegates representing the 4-H program based in Chester County included:

Suzanna Angstadt of Coatesville, Annamarie Arcaro of Honey Brook, Danielle Botial of Cochranville, Morgan Bristow of Gap, Jennifer Cook of Newark, Rachel Eisman of Kennett Square, Gianna Emmons of Newtown Square, Brianna Geyer of Downingtown, Caitlyn Geyer of Downingtown, David Gober of Chester Springs, Melissa Griswold of Chadds Ford, Sophie Griswold of Chadds Ford, Hailey Hilton of Cochranville, Michael Hughes of Chester Springs, Skyler Jackson of Landenberg, Melissa Johnson of Glen Mills, Makayla Malcom of Elverson, Ryley Miller of Elverson, Olivia Mitchell of Coatesville, Sofia Mitchell of Coatesville, Aaron Phillips of Elverson, Keara Riley of West Chester, Christa Watterson of Coatesville, Lauren Welsh of Lincoln University, and Mary Wirtel of Malvern.

Eleven 4-H members from across the commonwealth were recognized for attaining the highest achievement possible in the Pennsylvania 4-H program, the Diamond Clover Award. The Clover Award program encourages 4-H members to explore new projects and activities that will help them acquire the seven Leadership Life Skills: Communicating, Decision Making and Problem Solving, Getting Along with Others, Learning to Learn, Managing, Understanding Self, and Working in Groups. Engagement with the Clover Award Program is generally a multi-year process. Members of the 4-H program based in Chester County are currently participating in the Clover Award program with the plan to be recognized with the Diamond Clover Award in the upcoming years.

At the close of the conference, the new Pennsylvania 4-H State Council team was announced. The Council is a premier group of young people selected from the commonwealth to be the official spokespeople for the Pennsylvania 4-H program. The new officers include: Jillian Ranko of Butler County, president; Audrey Ferrie of Warren County, vice president of operations; Amanda Hollabaugh of Adams County, vice president of events; Sydney Brown of Erie County, vice president of internal affairs; Laurie Enders of Armstrong County, secretary; and Alyssa Neff of Dauphin County, reporter/historian.