Posted: May 9, 2024
As part of an effort to bring youth voice to high-level government discussions, 10 Pennsylvania 4-H members attended the National 4-H Conference, April 19-24, at Hyatt Regency Crystal City near Washington, D.C.
The 4-H'ers representing Penn State Extension were David Gober and Melissa Griswold, of Chester County; Mara Ours, of McKean County; Mikayla Deiter, of Perry County; Lex McCurdy, of Lawrence County; Savannah Hein, of Franklin County; Chrisalyn Mitchell, of York County; Zoe Kelter, of Bucks County; Garrett Hubbard, of Bedford County; and Jaylene Everhart, of Centre County.
"National 4-H Conference allowed me to collaborate with like-minded change-makers to create suggestions for problems I'm passionate about," Griswold said. "This event showed me how much of an impact youth can have on our country and has inspired me to try to continue to create positive change in my nation."
During this event, 4-H members ages 15-19 participated in roundtable discussions on pressing national topics. After a few days of brainstorming and preparation, the youth presented their ideas to a federal agency.
"Every year, this program reminds me of the power in youth voice," said Jeanette Stackhouse, Penn State Extension 4-H education specialist for leadership and civic engagement. "Many in our society look down on teenagers, but this conference reinforces to me that they are our future, and they have great ideas to share to solve big problems."
Griswold worked on a roundtable focused on adolescent health and well-being.
"My fellow delegates and I identified areas of teen health we felt could be improved: nutrition, mental health, reproductive health and drug use," she said. "Then, we created recommendations on how to improve each of those areas and shared our ideas with the Department of Health and Human Services."
Within her roundtable, Griswold concentrated on nutrition and offered suggestions such as improving food literacy by bringing farmers into schools to educate youth on where their food comes from. Her group also proposed a personalized meal plan system that uses artificial intelligence to suggest a balanced, nutritious diet and provide sample recipes tailored to individual lifestyle factors.
Gober's group examined how to increase youth recruitment in AmeriCorps and suggested updating the website, application, and social media.
Ours' roundtable was titled "Promoting Inclusive and Welcoming Communities."
"Many of our suggestions revolved around learning how to combat bias, celebrating our differences, and educating others," she said. "This event has taught me how to work with diverse groups of people to reach a common goal. I have also learned a lot about our government and its procedures."
Kelter's presentation looked at rural and agricultural youth development.
"We touched on topics related to making rural areas more attractive for young adults to move to and strategies for retaining those who already live there,” she said. "We believe that health care, education, and internet connectivity are some of the key reasons why youth feel forced to leave their rural communities."
In addition to participating in roundtable discussions, the 4-H members met new people from different parts of the U.S. and took a night tour of the Washington monuments. They also spent a day on Capitol Hill engaging with their senators and representatives.
"Touring the city and meeting with different representatives and officials allowed me to become involved with my community while also giving me the opportunity to explore and learn," McCurdy said.
"This experience has helped me to grow connections around the country and the world," Gober said, pointing out that some delegates came from the Northern Mariana Islands. "I will take away the information that I learned about working with others to solve problems."
Calling it a life-changing experience, Deiter said she was grateful for the opportunity to attend.
"I met so many amazing people and even visited the Pentagon," she said. "My biggest takeaway from this experience is that if there is something you want to do, go after it. When I applied, I wasn't sure if I would be accepted, but now I know that putting your name out there and just trying is what brings big rewards."
Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a nonformal educational youth-development program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring, and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Pennsylvania 4-H website.
