Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador
Hi!
My name is Sidney. I am a senior in high school from Wabasha County. I am a first-year Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador and part of the service committee.
I have been in 4-H for 11 years, and the state ambassador program has given me so many opportunities.
As an ambassador, I have recently attended:
National Service-Learning Conference
Women’s Agriculture Leadership Conference
National 4-H Conference
Let me tell you more about my experiences at these events.
National Service-Learning Conference
This year, the National Service-Learning Conference, put on by the National Youth Leadership Council, was held close to home, April 3-6, in St. Paul. I attended with three of my fellow state ambassadors.
This year's theme was "Putting Your Passion into Action." This theme was shared throughout the conference at the keynote addresses, plenary sessions, peer workshops and lightning talks. We heard from many amazing speakers. We also participated in the day of service in Wakan Tipi. We worked as a team to remove invasive species from native land.
From this conference, I was inspired by many groups to bring new ideas back to our state conference, Youth Exploring Leadership and Learning Opportunities (YELLO), including a new reflection style I learned.
The new reflection style uses the following questions:
What? - What was the service or goal?
So what? - How was the service provided, or how can it be done?
Now what? - What can be done next?
My fellow state ambassadors and I also learned many other things from attending that we plan to use!
Women’s Agriculture Leadership Conference
On April 10, I attended the Women’s Agriculture Leadership Conference with a fellow Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador and two Minnesota 4-H Agriculture Ambassadors. The theme this year was "Elevate, Empower, Evolve."
At the conference, we presented in a mini-session, sharing what was happening in Minnesota 4-H, including our ambassador programs, YELLO, 4-H plant sciences, ag academy, crop scouting, Minnesota Meats and the Engineering Design Challenge.
There were also two breakout sessions at the conference. I attended "Addressing Stress, Mental Health" and "Wellness in the Ag Community" by Brenda Mack. I also participated in speed networking and attended the 2024 agriculture policy panel breakout.
The conference theme fit how I felt when I left at the end of the day; I felt empowered and inspired by many other women in agriculture.
National 4-H Conference
I had the opportunity to attend the National 4-H Conference at the end of April. This was the 97th year of the conference held in Washington, D.C.
Youth delegates from the U.S. territories, military installations and states attended. Minnesota had 10 representatives this year and one person on the youth leadership team. At this conference, we each got put into a round table partnered with a federal agency to discuss and present youth voices and ideas.
My round table was partnered with the White House Council on Environmental Quality and included a diverse group of youth from many backgrounds. Together, we presented on sustaining an intergenerational environmental justice movement. We had two days as a team to create and practice the presentation before presenting it to the Council on Environmental Quality at the White House Conference Center.
I also met many people at this conference and attended the youth career fair. As a Minnesota delegation, we toured the White House, U.S. Capitol, House and Senate galleries, did a night tour of the monuments and explored many of the Smithsonian museums.
Sidney L.
Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador
Wabasha County