Leadership Development

MAKING A DIFFERENCE TODAY WHILE PREPARING CRITICAL SKILLS FOR TOMORROW

Leadership Skills You Never Outgrow

Youth Leadership Team member Naomi Dolan shakes hands with Jerry Costello, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Director Costello met with the Youth Leadership Team to share a vision for ending food deserts and increasing urban agriculture. He is excited to get 4-H youth involved.

94%

OF YOUTH PARTICIPANTS FELT LIKE THEY MATTERED AT THE CONFERENCE.

93%

OF YOUTH PARTICIPANTS FELT LIKE THE CONFERENCE GAVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE SOMETHING THEY REALLY CARED ABOUT.

The Illinois 4-H Junior Leadership Conference (JLC) is a funfilled event that provides junior high 4-H members (7th & 8th grades) a look into opportunities in Illinois 4-H and helps start their leadership journey. Members gain skills related to 4-H projects and leadership, such as communication, decision making, and teamwork while engaging in activities.

“Attending the 4-H Junior Leadership Conference gave me an opportunity to learn more about the qualities of a good leader. My key takeaways were to plan and be prepared, be open-minded, communicate, persuade and influence, and have confidence in your delivery skills.”

– Noah Felipe Munoz-Lo, Cook County

Youth public speaking builds self-esteem and confident presentation skills

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 this yearly contest develop skills for communicating real-life issues to live audiences and receive professional and peer feedback. Youth learn how to organize and prepare a speech, develop speech delivery skills, and how to present themselves in front of an audience.

COMPEER Financial provided financial support for this event through the Illinois 4-H Foundation.

“I’m so excited to join the Youth Leadership Team as a new member. We are working in our 4-H programs providing time, creativity, and resources while building communication, leadership, and networking skills. Since we are the future, we want to share knowledge, ideas, and experiences while helping others grow, further advancing 4-H for future generations throughout our community, state, and nation.”

YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM

From planning and leading the Illinois 4-H Jr. Leadership Conference, to walking the halls of the Illinois State Capitol talking to legislators, to representing Illinois 4-H at state and national events throughout the year, the Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team provides an invaluable “youth voice” to our University of Illinois Extension State 4-H program.

Caroline Ahrends, Logan County Emma Coursey, Warren County Naomi Dolan, Vermilion County Carina Engst, McLean County Megan Eppel, Lake County Braylee Gilmore, Macoupin County Caleb Grover, Christian County Julian Heidrich, Kendall County Anthony Joiner, Macoupin County Ashleigh Janssen, Tazewell County Andrea Miller, Franklin County Krish Nangia, DuPage County Gracie Prose, Ogle County Delaney Smith, Champaign County Jordyn Swinford, Pope-Hardin County Ross Vancil, Henderson County Sara Timm, Marion County Michelle Wang, Jackson County Beth Warden, Cass County Molly Warner, Knox County

ACROSS ILLINOIS, 4-H MEMBERS USED THEIR HEAD, HEART, HANDS, AND HEALTH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR.

The Home Spun Junior Leaders of McLean County met at Midwest Food Bank to volunteer labeling bags, scooping cereal, and boxing shipments for disaster relief. They rose to the challenge of assembling over 1,000 food bags for families in need.

The Northwestern Green Machines of Macoupin County cleaned up a park ahead of a local prom, pulling up old, overgrown flowers and cleaning up the flower beds and planting new flowers.

Enfield Blue Ribbon Club in White County worked together to improve a local park by installing fire pits for community members to enjoy.

4-H members within the McLean County Teen Teacher SPIN Club collected over 100 items in a food drive challenge in recognition of National 4- H Day of Service and to support the Illinois 4-H Food Advocacy Team.

93% of Illinois 4-H members work on service projects that help the community.

The Shelby County Shooters launched a letter writing campaign to help youth thank our military veterans.

The Caledonia 4-H Club in Pulaski County hosted a multi-site food drive to help raise food donations for the community.

The Ellery Panthers of Edwards County collected food for donation to help feed hungry families in their community.

The Fantastic 4-Hers of Fisher of Champaign County built park benches for the village and delivered picnic tables they built to the community center to provide more seating in outdoor spaces for their community.

Hamlet Handy Helpers of Mercer County helped the American Legion place honorary grave markers for the Veterans at the local cemetary 4-H Warriors of Will County provided "cat care" at a local shelter. Members also ran an online fundraiser so those who couldn't come in person could participate virtually.

The Hilltoppers club in Richland County and volunteers made their local library more beautiful by planting flowers, trees, and bulbs. Shelby County 4-H Federation gifted 325 harvest snack bags to help support area farmers to help give back and say thank you during farmers' busy season.

4-H grows confident kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities.

The local Lion's Club reached out to the Leaf River Soaring Eagles from Ogle County for an assist with adding dirt around the library gazebo. The 4-H members came with their masks, shovels and rakes!

CVIS & Boone County 4-H Federation Boone County partnered with Master Gardeners to learn about gardening and to plant and care for a new garden with produce from the garden benefitting the local food pantry. The Trinity Trailblazers club in DuPage County helped fight food insecurity in their community by making sack lunches to distribute on Chicago’s west side.

THE GIFT OF OUR VOLUNTEERS' TIME, SKILLS, AND PASSION IS INVALUABLE TO THE YOUTH THEY SUPPORT.

78%

OF 4-H VOLUNTEERS BELIEVE THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH 4-H CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR INCREASED CIVIC INVOLVEMENT.

89%

FELT THAT VOLUNTEERING WITH 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTES TO BETTER CONNECTED COMMUNITIES.

Volunteer support goes virtual!

Volunteers from across the state met virtually this year to share ideas and challenges during our virtual Cafe Conversations series.

Attendees gained access to tools & techniques to support their volunteer efforts, strengthening 4-H club and member experiences.

"It's the greatest job in the world."

-David Ratermann, Clinton County State Fair judge volunteer

4-H Shooting Sports Leader Training

A Level I 4-H Shooting Sports adult volunteer that becomes certified to teach hands-on lessons in archery, shotgun, rifle, or pistol marksmanship is the most intensely trained leader in the 4-H organization.

These individuals go through all the steps a regular 4-H volunteer goes through, then they must complete a minimum of 12 hours of discipline specific instruction and demonstrate their ability to safely lead these club activities. Eighty-one new adult 4-H Leaders received Level I status in 2021.

Level II 4-H Shooting Sports volunteers are the Train-the-Trainer State Instructors. These volunteers are completely committed to the program as they have performed as Level I instructors for several years, then attended and passed an additional 40 hours of training at the 4-H National level. Illinois 4-H is blessed with a group of Level II state instructors second to none.