In March, 35 high school-aged Wisconsin 4-H youth collaborated, connected and cultivated a passion for expanding their minds and their world in Washington D.C. during the National 4-H Council’s annual Ignite and Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) experiences.
Ignite
During Ignite, teens from all over the country spent four days in the nation’s capitol finding their sparks — the subjects that excite and inspire them — and becoming resilient and ready for everything life has to offer. They explored these topics that excite them and give them purpose through hands-on workshops, experiences and activities like Agriscience, Animal Science, Community Accelerators, Citizenship Washington Focus and STEM.
“Ignite was much bigger than I thought it would be,” one youth said. “In the Animal Science Track, the workshops I took focused on caring for animals through suturing and bandaging. Outside of our track, we explored other workshops like airplane pilot language, needle felting and plant pollination.”
Wisconsin 4-H Positive Youth Development (PYD) colleagues accompanied a statewide Wisconsin 4-H delegation that represented community and tribal 4-H clubs as well as nonprofit organizations.
Ignite empowered young people to explore community issues, make informed decisions with adults, explore different types of careers and gain skills to continue on their chosen pathways. These are goals of UW–Madison Division of Extension’s PYD Institutes’s priorities of Youth Empowerment and College and Career Readiness.
Ignite opened with a display of youth-led projects from across the country, including micro-green kits for food-insecure college students and public speaking workshops. Wisconsin 4-H delegates left inspired as they exchanged pins from their states and territories with other youth from the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Mariana Islands and 4-H youth from military bases in Japan.
The conference continued with career connection workshops, specialized sessions based on pre-selected career tracks and a night tour of national monuments including the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials.
Youth also had the opportunity to travel to off-site experiences where they saw career pathways in action, including the University of Maryland’s Dairy Farm, NASA’s Goddard Visitor Center and the Arlington National Cemetery.
At each site, youth spent time with experts in their respective fields, seeing real-life sparks in action. The next day, youth had more opportunities to take interactive workshops, see the projects of other young people across the country through gallery walks, plan their own projects, take group photos and participate in a dance! The final day ended with travel back to Madison, as the youth reflected on their week-long journey.
“The conference gave us space to meet other youth who were passionate about similar topics and make connections that we hope to maintain throughout our professional careers,” one youth said. “Overall, it was a very positive experience where I made lifelong memories.”
Citizenship Washington Focus
Fifteen youth within the Wisconsin Delegation attended Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF). This leadership experience empowers teens to become informed and engaged citizens, while offering expanded opportunities for collaboration, innovation and inspiration alongside peers from across the country. CWF guides youth on this journey with hands-on workshops, educational seminars and visits to national monuments and historic sites.
A highlight of CWF is Capitol Hill Day, where youth meet with members of the U.S. Congress and Senate, including Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, legislative staff to discuss issues impacting young people and communities, learn about our civic leadership history on a tour of the Capitol Building and attend a Clover Conference with 4-H alumni who work on Capitol Hill.
Expanding 4-H Beyond Clubs
This year offered a unique opportunity for collaboration. UW-Madison’s Division of Extension, teamed up with seven other Big Ten colleges as a part of the Regional Youth Leadership Advisory Team (RYLAT). RYLAT provides an opportunity for teens to be involved in a multi-state effort centered around agriculture and career exploration in order to introduce them to agricultural and food system career pathways.
Seven youth from Rooted, a Dane County-based nonprofit focused on urban agriculture, and two youth from the Nicianak Menominee Nation 4-H Club are part of Wisconsin’s RYLAT team. During Ignite, Wisconsin 4-H RYLAT participants joined youth from across the Midwest to develop an action plan for food-based service projects in their communities.
“I’m so excited for our girls to create Indigenous teen food boxes in the fall based on what they learned. I’m looking forward to a gathering in the fall in Nebraska,” said Sofie Teller, Menominee 4-H educator.
RYLAT groups will continue to meet virtually throughout the summer, culminating in a multi-day conference in the fall at the University of Nebraska.
Thank you to the adult chaperones who accompanied youth on the Ignite and CWF experience:
- Jason Buck Hornickel, Wisconsin 4-H Outdoor Education State Specialist
- Joe Maldonado, Wisconsin 4-H Bilingual Youth and Family State Specialist
- Holly Luerssen, 4-H Educator, Marathon County
- Lindsay Spindler, 4-H Educator, Polk County
- Sarah Karlson, Director of Urban Agriculture Education, Rooted
- Charlee Miller, 4-H Volunteer, Menominee County
- Tayah Reiter, 4-H Volunteer, Menominee County
