Welcome back Kentucky 4-H Summit.  March 2020…it was missed due to the pandemic.  It went virtual in 2021 with the pandemic continuing.  But 2022, middle school 4-H members were ready and waiting for an in-person opportunity that engaged their minds and heightened their interests in 4-H leadership opportunities. 

Through the 2022 4-H Summit program, middle school members had the opportunity to create friendships with peers from across a big part of the state of Kentucky which is the beginning of a network of friendships that can last a lifetime…and the opportunity to be mentored by older 4-H members who serve as team leaders and teach leadership classes.

Montgomery County youth served in these two different roles:  one served as a mentor and three attended Summit as middle school participants.  Each one came away from Summit with a renewed and inspired interest in 4-H leadership opportunities which is a major benefit of Summit:  instilling confidence, acquiring new and/or enhanced skills and sharing their knowledge and skills with others.

Informally surveyed on the trip back from Summit, the participants shared that they learned to communicate as individuals, work as a team, listen to other ideas that were different form theirs, and make decisions given the information presented.  Did they want to go back to Summit?  A resounding “yes.”