CAREER & LEADERSHIP

ILLINOIS 4-H YOUTH ARE REACHING NEW LEADERSHIP HEIGHTS

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

The Macomb 4-H Youth Leadership Organization (MYLO) is a three year program focused on the development of future community leaders who want to come back to Macomb to live and work. Macomb High School students first learn about the community they live in through a series of monthly tours and speakers. They then partner with a professional working in their own community, and develop a service project to give back. First year MYLO participants kick off their experience with team building such as navigating the high ropes course at Western Illinois University’s Horn Field Campus.

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

4-H MEMBERS LEARN ALL THE RIGHT MOVES AT YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Nearly 75 seventh and eighth grade youth learned ways to improve their leadership skills at the fall 2021 “Game of Leadership” 4-H Junior Leadership Conference. Youth Leadership Team members planned and led the conference with the goal of helping youth feeling empowered to go back to their clubs with stronger leadership skills.

JLC is made possible by support from: I feel like it impacts my future by helping me with possible public speaking and not being afraid of leading groups. I also really think that it brought me out of my comfort zone.

HALLE BREDEL, MACOUPIN COUNTY

“Without being a part of Youth Leadership Team, I believe I would have missed out on the chance to develop a skill that is so often neglected in a person’s upbringing and education: a growth mindset. YLT has taught me the benefit of grit, vulnerability, affect methods to create spaces where individuals’ voices can be heard and elevated.”

ANDREA MILLER, FRANKLIN COUNTY 2021 DEB STOCKER ILLINOIS YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

With support from local business entrepreneurs, teens in LaSalle County identified business opportunities, developed a pitch and were empowered with skills to apply themselves to grow a business.

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

96%

of youth surveyed felt that 4-H Junior Leadership Conference gave them the opportunity to explore something they really care about.

TEENS TAKE THE LEAD!

Members of the Youth Leadership Team put their leadership skills to the test as they grow and develop their skills by... •Planning and leading conferences •Walking the halls of the Illinois State Capitol talking to legislators •Representing Illinois 4-H at state and national events throughout the year •Serving on advisory councils and committees such as the Illinois 4- H Foundation Board of

Directors, Illinois Farm Bureau Youth Education Committee

This year's members included: Caleb Grover Naomi Dolan Anthony Joiner Jordyn Swinford Beth Warden Andrea Miller Carina Engst Ashleigh Janssen Ross Vancil Molly Warren Caroline Ahrends Megan Eppel Krish Nangia Sara Timm Emma Coursey Julian Heidrich Gracie Prose Michelle Wang

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

NATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND YOUTH HORIZONS

Ten delegates from Illinois took their leadership skills to the next level as they represented Illinois 4-H at National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia.

My biggest takeaway from National 4-H Congress was being in the presence of hundreds of youth from 37 states that had the same passion for becoming influential leaders in their communities. I so enjoyed having the opportunity to showcase how to be a leader throughout the week and on the community service day. CARLSON ROZANAS, BOONE COUNTY

YOUR GIFT HELPS 4-H DO MORE!

Give to support: • National experiences for youth • Scholarship opportunities • Illinois 4-H College and Career Readiness Fund • 4-H Youth Leadership Fund

4-H CONGRESS

4-H Congress is an educational experience designed to make an impact. Our Illinois 4-H delegates spent three days in Atlanta expanding their skills, engaging with other 4-H members, and gaining inspiration to come back to make an impact in their clubs, communities, country, and world!

2021 National 4-H Congress Illinois Delegates

Delaney Smith, Champaign County Ross Vancil, Henderson County Anthony Joiner, Macoupin County Michelle Marck, Stephenson County Megan Eppel, Lake County Naomi Dolan, Vermilion County Gracie Prose, Ogle County Dylan Zwilling, Champaign County Carl Rozanas, Boone County Lydia Oker, Kendall County Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski and Union County 4-H staff trained over 100 teens for the Teen Leader program reaching over 400 youth in 4-H classroom clubs. The 4-H Teen Teacher program is designed to have teens mentor and teach younger youth and act as ambassadors for our program. 4-H staff work with schools to provide training on youth adult partnerships, age-appropriate behaviors, community service, and multiple 4-H project areas. After the training, the teens mentor, lead, and teach younger youth on a 4-H program or project. The leadership program helps build public speaking skills while enhancing confidence and relationship-building. 4-H Teen Leaders have become a highlight program for the five county unit. The teens are trained as a group and really enjoy the networking and team building across the counties.

The teens completed textiles, hydroponics, visual arts, community service, cooking, ag science, health education, embryology and many other project areas this past year through teen teaching and mentoring younger 4-H members.

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

TODAY'S TEEN TEACHERS ARE THE EDUCATORS OF TOMORROW

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

HOW DO PRINGLES HELP BUILD LEADERSHIP?

At Officer Training School, youth from Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren counties gather for an experience that goes beyond learning about what each 4-H officer does as they explored what it means to be a leader and part of a team. In teams, youth raced against the clock and each other to try to make a freestanding ring of Pringles. This activity embraces “learning by doing” to observe leadership tendencies in action.

ILLINOIS 4-H YOUTH ARE READY FOR WORK!

The Illinois 4-H Ready for Work program helps youth learn about: •Admission requirements for Illinois colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs •Costs and payment methods of post secondary education •Setting and building an action plan for reaching postsecondary education goals •How to assess and increase their success and competitive advantage while in high school.

Youth also gain access to a larger community of peers with similar goals so they can be ready for work!

BUILDING SKILLS YOU NEVER OUTGROW

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

4-H excels in preparing youth to speak well and confidently, and it is a skill that serves members for a lifetime.

Youth who participate in the yearly State 4-H Public Speaking Contest develop skills for communicating real-life issues to live audiences and receive professional and peer feedback. Youth ages 8-18 gain skills in learning how to organize and prepare a speech, developing speech delivery skills, and learning how to present themselves in front of an audience.

I like public speaking because it combines two of my favorite things in the world: creative writing and public speaking. That’s what I do, I put both of those into one and I get to have a lot of fun, meet new people, and get new experiences. MOLLY DITTMER, LAKE COUNTY, 1ST PLACE WINNER IN THE ORIGINAL WORKS INDIVIDUAL DIVISION

2022 STATE PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST 136

4-H Youth from

85

Counties

COMPEER Financial provided financial support for this event through the Illinois 4-H Foundation. University of Illinois 4-H CloverSeed | Annual Report 21

CAREER & LEADERSHIP

SET UP FOR SUCCESS!

What's next for 4-H seniors according to the 2022 Senior Survey

4-H helped me develop a passion for the career I wish to pursue. I got to experience many different project areas and gained valuable knowledge through the "learn by doing" motto. SENIOR SURVEY RESPONDENT

FUTURE IMPACTS OF 4H

•97% learned new skills through 4-H that they could use in a future job. •96% know careers related to their 4-H projects. •84% can think of way their 4-H projects could be a business.

SELF IDENTITY

•94% said 4-H gives them the opportunity to explore something they really care about. •94% said 4-H is an important part of who they are. •93% said they feel like they matter in the 4-H program. •90% said they feel supported by other kids in the 4-H program.

VALUE OF VOLUNTEERS

•82% said 4-H leaders/staff took an active interest in their studies. •79% said 4-H leaders/staff helped them identify their strengths and weaknesses. •75% said 4-H leaders/staff talked to them about what they wanted to do in the future and what skills they need to achieve their goals.

GIFTS THAT PAY YOU BACK

A charitable gift annuity (CGA) is an easy, popular option that allows you to transfer cash or appreciated, marketable securities to UIF, and, in exchange, you — or up to two people you choose — receive a fixed annual payment for life. After the income beneficiaries pass away, the remaining funds are used to support Illinois 4-H Foundation. CGA donors also receive an immediate income tax deduction, subject to applicable limitations, and, in most cases, a portion of their payments tax-free. CGAs also offer an opportunity to diversify your portfolio and, should you decide to use appreciated securities to fund your annuity, capital gains tax savings. CGAs are not available in a small number of states.

You can also transfer assets to UIF to put in a charitable remainder trust (“CRT”) which then makes payments to you or others for life, for a term that doesn’t exceed 20 years, or a combination of the two. A CRT can also diversify your portfolio and, when terminated, its remaining assets will be used to support Illinois 4-H Foundation.