Events

National 4-H Conference

A select group of Illinois teens and adults travel to Washington, D.C. each spring to participate in this working conference, sponsored by the Secretary of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Delegates from throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico spend time attending workshops and working on action plans for the national, state, and local levels. Some limited sightseeing is included.

The first opportunity to attend this trip is provided to the teens serving on the State 4-H Youth Leadership Team. Open spaces are filled by application to provide a diverse Illinois delegation that represents various areas of the state, 4-H access systems, ethnic groups, and male/female ratios. Applications are generally provided to local Extension offices in early November, with a due date of early to mid-December.

Delegates must be 15 by January 1 and cannot turn 19 before March 1 of the year of the trip. The conference is held at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center in Chevy Chase, MD. Illinois delegates who attend are expected to spend one year after the conference working on a special project of the delegation's choosing. Illinois delegates must pay a participant fee, of which a portion is returned after the special project is completed. Delegates, the State 4-H Office, and the Illinois 4-H Foundation split the costs for delegates attending this event.