This coming Friday, March 13, 4-H members from surrounding counties will be competing at Regional 4-H Club Days in Great Bend. Local County 4-H Programs host their own County 4-H Club Days event annually focused on contests that challenge youth on their ability to communicate, present and convey a topic effectively, perform in an interview, to perform a musical talent, read, dance, and accurately perform parliamentary procedure.

Contests include Demonstrations, Project Talks, Public Speaking, Extemporaneous Speeches, Interview Contest, Vocal and Instrumental solos or ensembles, Dancing, Reading, Novelty Talents, Skits, Model Meetings, and Gavel Games. One of the many goals of the 4-H program is to develop youth’s presentation and communication skills, as well as their ability to lead in a business setting in the future.

Model Meetings and Gavel Games are contests designed to teach youth about parliamentary procedure and how important it is to have a base understanding of it. Model Meetings are when a 4-H Club works through a practice meeting where they are required to properly complete motions, and follow a business meeting setting. Gavel Games require teams of 4, acting as a slate of executive officers, to run through a pre-determined amount of parliamentary procedures, following proper technique.

Project Talks are for younger 4-H members. Youth will pick a topic related to one of their 4-H projects and explain it to a judge. This might include what they feed their market steer, different leatherwork techniques, or a particular sweater they are crocheting for the Fiber Arts project. 

Demonstration and Illustrated Talks are a more advanced presentation designed to either explain a step by step process related to their project work or describing how something is done. We also offer a Show and Share contest for our Cloverbud youth that allows them to start early in their 4-H career by simply sharing something interesting they have done. Maybe that is how to feed their rabbit or mix up a batch of cookies. Our Cloverbuds do this on a participatory basis so they can get comfortable speaking in front of a crowd.

The Public Speaking contest is for youth that wish to write an organized speech and present it. Youth can pick any topic they wish to present on. Extemporaneous speaking is a contest where youth draw a topic related to 4-H, and have 10 minutes to prepare a structured speech related to that topic. 

The Application, Resume, and Interview contest is where youth pick a 4-H related job like a program manager or project leader to apply for by completing an application with references, submitting a resume and cover letter. They will then sit through an interview where it, and their application materials will be judged.

Youth can also showcase their talents by either performing an Instrumental or Vocal Solo or Ensemble, as a Band, a group skit, a reading from their favorite novel or poem, a dance, or a novelty talent like a magic trick.

After competing locally, the youth that ranked the highest in each contest have the opportunity to compete at Regional 4-H Club Days for further recognition and a chance to practice their talents. 

The Barton County 4-H program participates in this regional event with the 4-H programs from the Midway District (Russell and Ellsworth Counties), Rice County, Pawnee County, and the 21 Central District (Stafford and Edwards Counties). We are proud of all our youth that will competing and representing Barton County! If you are interested in seeing the results of these contests, please watch for the release of the April edition of the Cottonwood Extension Newsletter.

For more information on 4-H Youth Development or K-State Extension call 620-793-1910, email 4-H Agent Ben Sims at benjam63@ksu.edu, or stop by the Great Bend office at 3007 10th St. Be sure to follow K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood Extension District Facebook page and check the website cottonwood.k-state.edu for the most up-to-date information about Extension programming.