Last week, Wisconsin 4-H participated in the 96th annual National 4-H Conference in Washington, DC! Six Wisconsin youth and two Extension staff attended this event hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture / National Institute of Food and Agriculture. During the week, each youth delegate participated in a roundtable experience composed of 15 youth from around the US led by a collegiate facilitator. Each roundtable was paired with a federal agency to provide youth voice on a topic of interest to the agency. In just two days, these roundtables met, discussed the issue, and developed and delivered a 45-minute presentation to the agency!
And if the delegates’ week wasn’t already very busy, they also heard messages from 4-H federal and nonprofit representatives, attended a flag raising in front of the USDA building, explored future careers and services at a job fair, cleaned hiking trails at the National Park Service Oxon Hill Farm, visited several Smithsonian Museums, saw important DC sights, AND visited with both of our US Senators and each House Representative tied to our delegation! What a week!
2023 youth delegates and their agency partners include:
- Lainey, Ozaukee County — Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Natalie, Shawano County — Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Tucker, Racine County — Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- Mia, Milwaukee County — US Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Nasir, Milwaukee County — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Serena, Iron County — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
