Many know of this Alberta institution and popular program that has been around since 1917, but to some, it might not be as familiar. Over the years, however, 4-H has quietly evolved into a fascinating program whose projects include everything from active living, arts, science and technology, crafts, cooking, agriculture and a lot more. Today’s exciting 4-H program gives urban and rural youth and adults life-long skills such as co-operation, leadership, interpersonal relations, critical thinking, decision making, organization, public speaking and community service.
On Saturday, April 9, 2016, nearly 30 4-H Alberta members from across the province came together to compete in a public speaking and presentations competition for the chance to win the top prize – representing Alberta at the national level at the Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture (CYSA) competition in Toronto in November.
Public speaking has been classed as the number one fear in most people so building this skills in our young people is so beneficial.
The winner of the public speaking portion, and moving on to the CYSA, is Spencer Graling from the St. Paul 4-H Multi Club. The winners of the presentations portion are Cody and Clayton Dyck from the Two Hills 4-H Beef and Multi Club.
All 4-H members participate in the communications program in their local clubs, and can select to take part in either speeches or presentations. Held for one day in Wetaskiwin, the Provincial Communications Competition showcased the top talent from all seven 4-H Alberta regions across the province. All participants were seniors in their clubs and made it through four levels to qualify for the competition.
“The Communications Program is what sets our youth apart from their peers, and allows them to excel as they continue to post-secondary schooling and pursuits beyond,” said Leah Jones, CEO of 4-H Alberta. “This year we again saw incredible talent and skill from our members, and a difficult challenge for the judges as they selected the winners.”
To coincide with the Provincial Communications Competition, 4-H Alberta and AltaLink are happy to announce they renewed their partnership until 2019, and AltaLink continues to be the title sponsor of all club, district, regional and provincial communications programs.
“We’re very pleased to renew the strong partnership we started with 4-H Alberta more than ten years ago,” said Scott Thon, president and chief executive officer of AltaLink. “Our organizations share the values of investing in the communities in which we live and work and empowering youth across the province. On behalf of all AltaLink employees, we look forward to continuing to help young Albertans on their path towards a bright future.”
Rumour has it that 4-H programing may be coming back to Chestermere… so stay tuned for that! For more information on 4-H, you can visit www.4h.ab.ca/index.html
