ArizonaRealCountry.com 7 February 2018 National 4-H Congress Youth in 4-H have countless opportunities for growing and realizing their leadership potential. One of the most notable of those is National 4-H Congress. National 4-H Congress is an event that celebrates one of the greatest assets of the 4-H program: its youth and teen leaders. During the event, delegates from across the country get to participate in workshops, engage in some team building challenges, and provide some community service in the area. Getting chosen to be a delegate is one of the biggest honors for senior members in 4-H, and states get to send a selection of their most active and ambitious members to represent that state at the national level. It all began over 95 years ago in Chicago with 100 attendees: Since then, the program has moved around the country from Memphis to its current host city in Atlanta. I got the opportunity to attend national congress myself back in 2014, and believe it or not, I didn’t By Arman Ghazi, Maricopa County 4-H Americorp Volunteer For a more comprehensive list of the opportunities available, go to: extension.arizona.edu/4h/statewide-projects Or for information on how to join 4-H in Maricopa County, go to: extension.arizona.edu/4h/getting-started want to go at first! At that time, I wasn’t sure if I’d even enjoy traveling thousands of miles away for a 4-H event where I wouldn’t know anyone. Still, after lots of pushing and encouragement from my 4-H leaders and friends who had already been, I decided to apply. After arriving at the hotel, all my previous worries were quickly gone. Already on the first night I was meeting 4-Hers who lived anywhere from New Jersey to New Mexico, learning about their endeavors in the program and making all sorts of connections with new friends. Robin Etnyre, who chaperoned the 2017 Arizona delegation says, “I think National Congress is the chance of a lifetime for our teens to see how much bigger they can be. It’s an opportunity to go visit somewhere else, be in a different setting, be with people other than their parents, and hear from some of the greatest people in ag today.” Besides, it’s only four days. Four days to get out of your norm and learn something about yourself. Four days to change your life or help you realize what you don’t want to do with your life. And four days to build a whole new family in 4-H. I think National 4-H Congress is another great example of the life-changing opportunities that 4-H offers. For more information on how to get involved in Arizona 4-H, visit extension.arizona.edu/4h/getting-started.