It’s October again, and your 4-H Agent has seemingly disappeared for a week. You may be asking yourself, what are they doing? Why are they not here to take my call? As an extension professional, many expect us to be available 24/7. In doing our best to accommodate everyone, our absence is often largely noticed. So, what is your 4-H Agent doing this week in October? We are attending the annual National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (NAE4-HYDP) conference.

What does your 4-H Agent do at the NAE4-HYDP Conference?

This multi-day conference is packed with beneficial experiences for 4-H professionals. The event kicks off that Monday with a Positive Youth development spotlight day for council members and is rounded out with a conference orientation and a welcome event that provides key networking time for first-time attendees.

Day #1

The second day, or true first day for all attendees, begins with a professional development show and tell with working groups and committees and national specialty award winners. Professionals can learn about other states’ programming and ways to get involved within the national association.

From here, attendees hear from a keynote speaker at the general session. Then professionals head to an awards brunch that is hosted by their regional director. Florida is part of the Southern region.  We share this region with Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. A majority of the award winners were represented by Florida during this brunch, including myself.

After the brunch, professionals set out to learn from other 4-H professionals during hour long peer workshops. Workshops can cover everything from volunteerism, program design and delivery, access, equity and organization, the power of youth, research and evaluation, teaching and learning, and effective organizational systems. The opportunities are endless!

Personally, one of my favorite workshops on the first day discussed how 4-H professionals can utilize the 4-H Volunteer Knowledge Competencies (VRKC) in their volunteer training. I have used these before and love how it includes hands-on activities that really get the volunteers involved in their learning. It was great to hear how other professionals around the country have used these as well. To learn more about the VRKC, check this resource out: National 4-H Volunteerism Resource Hub.

Day #2

The second day begins much like the first with a general session right at the start. This day of the conference is full of learning from other 4-H Professionals. Hour long, peer-led, workshops continue throughout the day. Professionals also have the opportunity to attend the exhibit hall which features many resources that may be beneficial to the programs we provide. My favorite sessions from this second day included a workshop on “The Development of a 4-H Thrive Model Activities Tool for Adult Volunteers”, “From Surviving to Thriving: Keys to Success for 4-H professionals to Navigate the System, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive in Their Positions”, and “Conflict Resolution Resources 101”. Through these workshops I gained valuable tools that I will be able to include in my workday and programs. Lunch on this day included recognizing the National specialty and communicator awards.

Day #3

Day three represents the last full day of the conference. Like the previous two days, youth entertainment and a general session begin the day. Instead of hour-long workshops, this day featured 20 minute peer-led workshops that touched on a variety of topics. There truly is something for everyone at these conferences! This year, Katie Jones, Suwannee County 4-H Agent, and I submitted an abstract to speak during the 20 minute sessions. We were selected and shared information about our created program: Charcuterie Masters. Our workshop was titled, “Developing Thriving Youth One Charcuterie Board at a Time”. We shared with at least 150 4-H professionals about our experiences, our suggestions, outcomes and future goals for this program. At the culmination of the workshop, over 100 attendees requested access to created resources. We are very excited about the interest in what we created!

Free time in the afternoon allowed attendees to explore the hosting city and state through tours or self-exploration. Boise, Idaho is a beautiful city! Such natural beauty surrounds the city with foothills in the view from almost every direction.

To end the conference, the awards banquet is held to honor those who have served the national association for different lengths of time. These awards winners are voted on through an application program. Receiving any of these awards is quite an honor and speaks to ones involvement in the association. I hope to one day be presented an award at this banquet. The banquet, like many of the meals during this conference, provide a great opportunity to network with other professionals across the country and are one of my favorite things.

Conclusion

So, while your 4-H Agent may not be readily accessible during this week, know that we are developing ourselves professionally to better serve our volunteers and clientele. We take what we learn during this week and implement it into new programs, to strengthen current programs, and to provide new opportunities for our volunteers to grow and thrive within our 4-H programs. I am sure I speak for many in the same profession when I say, “thank you”, for supporting us as we take the time to better ourselves and our programming that we provide to our communities! Be sure to ask your 4-H Agent or professional what they learned or what their favorite part of the conference is. They would be happy to share!

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