Local Youth Develops Leadership at State 4-H Teen Conference

Ella Armentrout

Ella Armentrout of the County Line 4-H club, Hume, Mo., was among the record setting 294 delegates attending the annual State 4-H Teen Conference, March 24-25, at the University of Missouri, Columbia. The delegates, ages 11-13, attended workshops centered around three of the 4-H program’s four “essential elements:” belonging, generosity and mastery of new skills. The fourth is independence, and for many this was the first overnight event away from home.

The conference is led by Missouri’s State 4-H Council, a group of older teens elected annually by their peers, who work for months to plan and implement this leadership conference. “Teen Conference develops leadership on both fronts,” said Alan J. Mundey, Bates County 4-H Youth Specialist for MU Extension. “The older teens probably learn as much about leadership from this program development experience than those they are teaching.” 

Instructed by Council teens, attendees learned teambuilding activities, wrote letters of appreciation to World War II veterans and learned dances they could teach at summer 4-H camps. Delegates also prepared fabric for the MU Extension 4-H LIFE program, which organizes activities, parenting and leadership skills development to families who have a qualified incarcerated parent. Using the pre-cut material from Teen Conference, 4-H LIFE families work together to create blankets during their 4-H club meetings held in prison visiting rooms. The blankets are then donated to charitable organizations, completing the service learning experience. For more information about 4-H, which is open to all youth ages 8-18, visit www.4h.missouri.edu or contact your local MU Extension Center at 660-679-4167.

-our thanks to Alan Mundey