I remember the first time I went to Presentation Day, when I was 10 years old. I sat there on the cold metal chairs atOphir school, waiting for my turn to give my first impromptu speech. I had signed up because I thought it would be easy as you only had 5 minutes with your prompt before giving your speech, but it didn't feel so easy as I sat there watching other youth present before me.I was in complete awe of the teenage 4-Hers, and how easily they seemed to be able to give incredible speeches! I remember one boy in particular. Despite his five-minute preparation, he told a great story, broke down the prompt in his response, and made it a fascinating listen. I thought to myself: “That's a SUPERPOWER!"
When it was my turn, I stumbled through my topic. I repeated myself multiple times, sweat a river, and somehow STILL only talked for 45 seconds! I was so embarrassed, but everyone watching supported me with kind words, and told me how brave I was to go up there and speak. 4-H people gave me the confidence to keep trying, and to not be ashamed when I messed up.I spoke at several Presentation Days, each year growing in confidence and skill. I participated in the public speaking project and even became a Placer County 4-H Ambassador. When I was about 16, I went to Presentation Day and decided to give another impromptu speech. I told a story, broke down the topic into three parts, and made a compelling point… just like my hero had once done. In that moment, I remembered the day so many years before when my speech had been pretty terrible… and I felt GOOD!Presentation Day can feel scary, and challenging, but everyone in 4-H understands that. We're proud of anyone who participates in County Presentation Day because we all know it takes guts to speak in public. If you mess up? We've been there. As 4-Hers we know that you're going to get better, and better, and then take on the world, so don't be afraid. I think you'll find public speaking is a lot more fun than you realize.
5 Traits I've Learned Through 4-H
by Maddie Wiswell, Placer County 4-H Ambassador
I'm Maddie Wiswell and I have been in 4-H for nine years. I live on a 100-acre sheep and cattle ranch and have invested a lot of time in animal projects and leadership opportunities through the 4-H program. I have been so grateful to meet and work with so many amazing people over the last few years and wouldn't trade it for the world. Through my experience I have gained a lot of knowledge and have learned so much about who I want to be. These are the top five things that I have learned thus far:
1.Leadership
To me, leadership is the ability to lead by example and be a positive role model to others around you. You not only inspire others, you teach them to be leaders for themselves. My leadership skills have been practiced through a multitude of positions. I have had experience on committees, as a club officer, summer camp staff, and now as an ambassador. Leadership is now one of my favorite subjects to learn about in school and I hope to continue my ambitions in the future.
2.Responsibility
Whether it is owning up to your mistakes or following through with your work, responsibility is an important aspect that can be applied to anyone's life. To be responsible for another's life is the most eye opening form of responsibility that I can think of. To me, the greatest opportunity I have had is to raise animals. From the two chickens I took home from my second grade class to the flock of sheep I now own, every project has been incredibly fun and rewarding for me.
3.Teamwork
Building relationships and connecting with others 4-Her's from across the state has by far been the best part of each event I have attended. I love hearing other people's journeys and like reciprocating similar interests. Additionally, the friendships made by working with close-knit groups of people allows our experiences to thrive and provides the best form of motivation.
4.Communication Skills
One of the greatest fears among us humans is public speaking. I admit that I share this fear and that I have always been shy and quiet. I have learned that everyone is here to support each other and that no one will judge you for speaking up about your opinions. One way this applies to 4-H is through advocating for what you believe in. Speaking up and a simply asking for help can go a long way towards you reaching your goals. Although I have not participated in as many public speaking or presentation events as I would have liked. One thing that is for sure is that I will always know how to address a letter due to the long hours put in handwriting buyer letters.
5. Opportunity
My greatest realization is the power of opportunity. Opportunities are indefinite and you never know where they can lead to. This might be one of the reasons that I choose to say yes to every new experience; I constantly want to do everything all at once. Some of my greatest 4-H opportunities include establishing the Thermalands 4-H Club as the President and starting up my own flock of Shropshire breeding ewes. Additionally, the Northern Youth Summit committee has helped me connect with people who have a passion for leadership which has kept my spark alive within the 4-H.
I guess what I'm saying is that the 4-H Program has been extremely beneficial to my development as an individual, team partner, and community member.
When I was five years old, my family purchased our first three chickens. What we did not know at the time, was that chickens are the gateway animal to lifelong livestock endeavors. Since purchasing those first few chickens, we've expanded to dairy goats, horses, plus the menagerie of market animals we've raised over the years. Through it all, we've always had chickens. My latest adventure into the show chicken world, began with some hatching eggs that we bought online. From those eggs, I hatched out my first Jersey Giants. This is where the story begins.
In 2018, I attended my first in-cage poultry show where I showed a young pair of black Jersey Giants. At the time, I knew nothing about Jersey Giants. I figured we would just go to the show to see what would happen. I got my birds washed and packed them up in the car to head to Modesto, California. After we got there and I cooped-in, a woman came up to me and sparked a conversation about my birds. It turns out, my Jersey Giants were hatchery quality birds. The women's name was Sher, and she took me in at that show. She showed me all the basics of in-cage showing with my little hatchery birds. After just meeting Sher, she invited us to have dinner back at her hotel room with the rest of the group. (I don't recommend having dinner with strangers in their hotel rooms, but fortunately it was a wonderful evening.) That night, Sher offered me a sponsorship through West Coast Jersey Giants. This would give me three high quality Jersey Giant pullets, and Sher's mentorship. Over the past couple years, we've encountered speed bumps in my Jersey Giant journey, but I've gotten over those bumps in the road and raised as well as shown some truly great Jersey Giants. I've been lucky enough to be able to bring every little bit of knowledge back to my Gold County 4-H Club, and back to my livestock community.
The best recommendations I have for getting started showing something new, is to go find a mentor and don't be afraid to look dumb! Almost any breeder or showman out there, regardless of species, would love to help answer questions and help foster the next generation of breeders and showmen. Go out there, find a breeder or showman you admire, and ask questions! What's the worst that could happen!
/span>- Author: Natalie Cunha
I have been raising Boer Goats for fair though 4-H for about 4 years. Since I started, I have raised a Red Paint goat named Buttercup, along with Charlie, Hubert, Blaze, and Wethertop who all Traditional colored. Perhaps you are wondering what Red Paint and Traditional mean, they simply refer to the color of the goat. A Red Paint is all red and a Traditional has a red head and with white body.
One of the biggest challenges when raising a goat for fair is getting the animal to listen to you. This takes a lot of time and practicing, which is something I have not yet mastered. There are many enjoyable things too, like the companionship goats provide, or at least for the few months you have your goat before County Fair. Another enjoyable thing that comes with raising a market goat is the responsibility that comes with caring for an animal. This may sound more like a burden than a plus, but for me it is probably the thing I miss the most after my goat is sold at the County Fair Livestock Auction. I have had many fun years raising market goats and hope to have a few more.
4-H is what made all of this possible! Especially my goat leaders who have taught me how to raise and show goats. My 4-H leaders have been there for me when I was having troubles and they have given me tips on how I could do better. I would like to say, Thank you to all the 4-H volunteer leaders, especially my goat leaders.
- Author: Natalie Cunha
It was the beginning of my 7th grade school year when I first heard about 4-H. My mom had learned about the 4-H program through her coworker. I remember conversing with my mom about whether or not I should join the program and I was very reluctant. However, my mom insisted that I should join, so we decided that I would try it out by attending my first club meeting (the Rocklin 4-H Club).
When I first walked into the meeting room, I was nervous. It was a whole new environment, and I did not know what to expect. When the meeting started, I was surprised to find out that it was being held by younger youth officers and I instantly knew that I wanted to be a part of the team. For some reason, being an officer intrigued me, so my mom urged me to ask if there were any opening positions in the leadership team. Soon, after the meeting, I talked with the community club leader and sure enough, they had positions open. Within a month, I was appointed Vice President of the Rocklin 4-H Club.
Being an extremely shy person, I had a hard time warming up to my team, but somehow, within a few months, I was comfortable to participate in monthly meetings and represented the club in joint events with local organizations. Although I was never involved with any leadership activities prior joining Rocklin 4H club and my roles were completely new to me, I was able to quickly adapt to my position as Vice President. I developed new skills and learned from my wonderful teammates. Because I loved being a part of the team and leadership, I decided to run for club president for the following year.
I was elected President of the Rocklin 4-H Club for my second year in the club. After one year of being vice president, I had an idea of what the role of the Club President would be, but honestly, I had no clue what I was doing. Thankfully, Sandy was able to guide me throughout the year. During my year serving as Club President, I expanded tremendously on my leadership skills. I learned how to lead meetings, prepare and finalize agendas, organize club events and coordinate with local representatives. I also found my love for event planning when I had the opportunity to be the Committee Chairperson for numerous events my club took part in. Towards the end of that 4-H year, I was elected Club President once again for my second term.
After my three years of experience in 4-H, I decided that I wanted to do more in 4-H. As a result, I decided to apply to be a county ambassador. The previous year, before my second term as president of my club, I had considered applying to be an ambassador, but I felt that I was not prepared enough. This time, after my couple years of experience, I knew that I could handle taking on a position at the county level. After the application process, I was elated to find out that I had been accepted onto the ambassador team. I would be able to take my leadership skills to the next level while representing Placer County 4-H.
Now, in my couple of months as a Placer County 4-H Ambassador, I am still adjusting to my new position. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities I have been given and the people that have helped guide me. I am so grateful that I get to be a part of such an amazing team of 4-Hers and I am also happy that I ended up attending my first 4-H club meeting because if I hadn't, I may never have been where I am today in 4-H. I can't wait to continue to build on my leadership skills and become even more involved within 4-H!