- Author: Ariel Clay
LCORT (Leadership Conference of Regional Teens) 2017 was held in Wonder Valley on January 27-29. This conference was offered to 4-H youth between the ages of 11-13 from the 19 counties that form California 4-H's Central Area. There were just over 300 attendees, and San Joaquin county sent a delegation of 3 youth (Ben Thomas, John Lucostic, and Kevin Sette) and one chaperon (Ariel Clay).
The theme for the conference this year was "May the Leadership Be With You", and the planning committee did a great job incorporating Star Wars into all aspects of the conference. At one point an assembly was even invaded by professional Star Wars cosplayers!
All of the delegations arrived on Friday evening and enjoyed ice breakers and an opening assembly. The next day, everyone was broken into small groups that rotated through twelve 30-minute workshops that were led by All Star teams from across the region. Workshop topics ranged from public speaking tips to how to prevent bullying to how to start a service learning project. Saturday also included several recreation periods where delegates could play sports, jump on giant trampolines, play board games, dance, watch a movie, or even stargaze with professional-grade telescopes. On Sunday the small groups finished their workshop rotations and said goodbye at a closing assembly.
The Wonder Valley Conference Center when LCORT is held is an amazing facility. Youth participants and their chaperones stay in 10-person dorm style rooms and eat excellent meals prepared in the dining commons. The facility is tucked away in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains on the east side of Fresno county, which provides a beautiful and relaxing environment for participants to learn and play.
If you are interested in attending LCORT, or any other 4-H leadership conferences, keep an eye on the monthly county newsletter or contact Ariel Clay at amclay@ucanr.edu.