Attending the 2017 National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Ga., was an experience of a lifetime for Karly Just of Berlin.

“Meeting 4-H’ers from all around the nation and listening to amazing speakers make this a memory I will never forget,” the LaMoure County 4-H member says.

Just was one of four North Dakota delegates to the National 4-H Congress. The others were Dalyce Leslie of Deering, Bethany Reiten of Kathryn and Anna Skarphol of Fargo.

They joined more than 900 youth from across the U.S. in workshops that help them improve their leadership skills. They also heard from nationally and internationally recognized speakers, took part in a service learning project and experienced local culture through visits to locations such as the Carter Presidential Library and the Atlanta Zoo.

“Overall, Congress was amazing,” Reiten says. “The speakers were powerful and enlightening, and the service learning project helped a lot of people who needed it. The other North Dakota delegates and I had the opportunity to meet people our own age from around the country and learned a lot from them.”

The Barnes County 4-H’er also urges other youth to apply to attend the National 4-H Congress.

“You won’t regret it,” she says.

“The National 4-H Congress is an inspiring event charged with energy, camaraderie and fun,” says Caroline Homan, the 4-H youth development agent in the North Dakota State University Extension Service’s LaMoure County office. “I was honored to chaperone the North Dakota 4-H Congress delegation and consider it a career highlight.

“I found the passion, poise and talent expressed by 4-H youth who participated in 4-H Congress stimulating, and I highly recommend this event to anyone interested in expanding their world view and growing their potential,” she adds.

The National 4-H Congress is one of several national and statewide leadership development opportunities available to North Dakota youth through 4-H, a program of the NDSU Extension Service.

“National 4-H Congress is an amazing educational opportunity for our North Dakota 4-H youth leaders,” says Rachelle Vettern, leadership and volunteer development specialist in NDSU Extension’s Center for 4-H Youth Development. “The Congress experience celebrates their contributions to the North Dakota 4-H program and positions them to take on new roles in the county and state 4-H program.”

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Dec. 26, 2017