Virginia 4-H State Congress

Report on Virginia 4-H State Congress by Heather Duncan, Prince William County "Compass 4-H Club"


4-H is a major statewide educational youth program and this year Prince William County had plenty of representation at the Virginia State 4-H Congress. The Congress is the premier, statewide 4-H event for
outstanding 4-H teens and adult volunteer leaders. The idea is to provide both competitive and non-competitive educational experiences to Virginia teens helping them to develop life skills and leadership
abilities to become good citizens in their communities. The 90th Virginia 4-H State Congress was held at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, June 14 - 17, 2010. This year's theme was "Piecing Together
the 4-H Puzzle".  This year Prince William 4-H pieced together the puzzle by sending local teems, Kipp Dunn, Rose Dunn, Heather Duncan, Ruthann Jones, Abigail Poole, Micah Poole, Brandon Thies, and Ryan Thies. Kipp Dunn received first place in Share the Fun competition for his poetry recital of Up Time by Kimberly Allen.  Rose Dunn received second place in Fun with Fashion; this competition involved assembling and modeling an outfit.  Abigail Poole, Ruthann Jones, and Rose Dunn, were initiated into Virginia 4-H All Stars, the highest recognition award available in 4-H.
Each All Star must fill out a long application which is then approved by a Virginia All Star board. Heather Duncan, Rose Dunn, and Abigail Poole were selected to represent Virginia at the National 4-H Congress, the nation's flagship 4-H event to be held November 27 - December 1, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.. Prince William County 4-H will provide three of the twelve Virginia representatives, to this year's National Congress.  The application process for Congress is a long one. First you must create a resume for your Education, 4-H Participation, 4-H Leadership and Citizenship, and Outside of 4-H Leadership and Citizenship. After a local board of 4-H Agents review your resume, if you are approved, you advance to competition at the Virginia 4-H State Congress level. The statewide interview involves a presentation of a portfolio that you have created explaining your 4-H story. After a series of difficult questions and some hard deliberation, Heather Duncan, Rose Dunn, and Abigail Poole were selected to represent Virginia at the National 4-H Congress All three teens agreed "Virginia 4-H State Congress taught us how to Piece Together the 4-H Puzzle, how to strive for something that seems impossible to achieve, and how to Make the Best Better".
Virginia 4-H State Congress is truly an adventure, and for Rose Dunn, Heather Duncan, and Abigail Poole, their adventure shall continue, as they represent Prince William County nationwide.