My new gig

I was recently asked to become a State 4-H Council advisor. For those of you who know what the State 4-H Council is are probably saying, wow, what a great opportunity. For those of you who don't have a clue what I'm talking about, read on.

Most everyone that I think would read my blog is aware of 4-H, but for those of you not fortunate enough to have exposure to this program, 4-H is a program for youth that is designed to allow exploration and education in many different topics while also learning many life skills such as responsibility, communication, leadership, youth and adult partnerships, the list goes on. Typically in Iowa we think of the county and state fair and associate them with 4-H. Youth will enter exhibits whether it be photography or clothing or livestock and they are judged based on their final result. However, 4-H is a year-round program and the exhibits are just a demonstration of what the youth has been working on all year. I was an avid 4-Her showing cattle and horses, cooking, sewing, refinishing furniture, giving presentations... It's fun because you learn a lot and meet a lot of people. I loved it. And still donate my time to the program judging scholarships and state awards.

The Iowa 4-H State Council is unique. The council is composed of about 45 high school juniors and seniors from across the state. The members must prepare an application (resume) and be selected based on their written material and interview (great prep for job interviews!). For a year, the selected members will be ambassadors and resources to their area of the state and work at the Iowa State Fair. Aside from being ambassadors, the major task of the council is to plan a 3-day conference for nearly 1000 8th-12th graders. Perhaps even more amazing is that these youth will only formally meet 4 times throughout the year yet the conference always runs smoothly (to those not on the inside). The conference is always crazy busy, but kids look forward to it every summer and it is open to all youth, not just 4-Hers. I went to the Nebraska youth conference about 10 years ago and their council (though much smaller, maybe 10 members) planned one workshop. The Iowa Council plans 2 dances, many workshops, speakers, community service activities, etc.

I was on the council for two years my junior and senior years of high school. It was a lot of fun and it's strange how close you can get to people that you only see a few times a year. And it's crazy how fun it is to be totally deprived of sleep while making sure a summer youth conference runs smoothly. I met my best friends, Jane and Wyatt, on the State 4-H Council as well as many other good friends.

So I'm excited. Pending some background checks (which I anticipate will go well), I am the newest advisor for this group (there are 3). Their first retreat is at the beginning of June at the Iowa 4-H Center, a camp near Madrid and I'm excited not only to meet the youth and work with them, but also the camp stuff. A night hike, teams course, and campfire are on the agenda! I can't wait!

On a side note, if you will be in the Cedar Valley this Saturday evening, stop by the Wartburg College May Term Band concert. The JayWalkers will be holding a bake sale with rootbeer floats--I'll be baking up a storm Friday night!