One of
the many definitions of congress is “the act of coming together.” And that is
exactly what goes on at 4-H State Congress.
Senior Members of 4-H from all over the state come together for 5 days
and stay at the University of Florida. Here is a rundown of this year’s
Congress:
Upon
arrival members got settled in to their dorms for the week, went to interviews
for scholarships, did icebreakers and a bunch more. Monday night all attendees
went to the UF college of Agricultural and Life sciences Picnic at the football
stadium. And afterwards went to a district meeting to get ready for the opening ceremony and pep rally, where the districts show their spirit and compete for
the spirit stick.
Tuesday
morning is competition time! All of those that qualified with their demonstration or illustrated talk at the district level competed at the state
level. Those who did not compete went to
project enhancement workshops including: Step up to Leadership, Financial
Literacy and a tour of the UF campus. During the rest of the day the members
went to healthy lifestyle workshops depending on the color of their name tag.
We ended Tuesday with County Night Out and Night of Culture at the Straughn
IFAS Extension Professional Development Center. 
Wednesday
is the day where all of the attendees go out and perform community service . At this time those who are
competing in Share the Fun had rehearsal all day! Upon returning from the
community service workshops it was recreational time where you had the option
to swim, play billiards or bowl in the game room, or take the time to rest in
your dorm. Later that night was Wednesday Night Extravaganza! The Share
the Fun and Fashion Revue competed at the state level, followed by the
Competitive Event awards from Tuesday Morning. I am proud to say that all of
our Pinellas County Members that competed came home with a trophy, I received a
red award and 3rd place in Small Animals and Pets, Emily Vines
Received a blue award and 1st place in Animal Industry, and our 4
member team from Da Swagga League, John Roe, Abby Lang, Adison Julian, and Evan
Julian received first place and a blue ribbon in Share the Fun! 
Thursday
is the day everyone looks forward to! In the morning you go off to your Off-Site
workshops. These are the workshops where everyone has the most fun! The workshops range from vet medicine to breads and pastry. You spend
all day at your workshop to come back to your dorms and get ready for the banquet later that evening. During the banquet
Scholarships and Award Trips are presented, along with the recognition of
new Hall of Fame members, the new State officers are installed and you are
served an amazing dinner. Upon the conclusion of the banquet everyone heads
over to the ballroom to dance!
When
Friday comes it’s time to pack up and go home. 4-H State Congress is a lot of
fun! It gives our seniors a chance to be with other members their own age from
all over and learn more about the University of Florida. Every year there are new workshops to choose from and new people to
me. Advice from one 4-H’er to another… GO!
By Samantha Richards,
4-H Youth Mentor
No comments:
Post a Comment