The 99^th Annual Kentucky 4-H Teen Conference was held at the University of Kentucky June 13-16, 2023. The objectives of Kentucky 4-H Teen Conference are: develop leadership and teamwork skills, improve communication skills, foster civic engagement, expand knowledge and skills related to 4-H core content areas, gain club, county and state 4-H program skills, have fun, create a sense of belonging, expand social skills through networking, develop youth-adult partnerships, and become acquainted with the University of Kentucky to aid in college and career readiness of Kentucky 4-Hers. 

The leadership event attracted 544 individuals to the University of Kentucky campus: 428 youth and 116 adults from 81 Kentucky counties. The event was sponsored by the University of Kentucky Martin Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Cooperative Extension Service 4-H Program, the Kentucky 4-H Foundation, Farm Credit Mid-America, the Kentucky Soybean Board Kentucky Farm Bureau, Valvoline, and Tarter. 

4-H partnered with 27 different units and departments across the University for participants to gain six hours of educational content in a subject (major) of their choice. Youth engaged in hands-on lessons inside and outside of classrooms at the University of Kentucky, showing them what student life might be like if they attended UK. The majors focused on: agriculture, health, natural resources, expressive arts, family consumer sciences, science, engineering and technology, and communication. 

In addition, participants engaged in five hours of leadership development and service learning. All youth participated in a mentorship workshop led by a youth-adult facilitation team. 4-H collaborated with over 25 community serving organizations to engage in three hours of service work. The 428-youth logged 1,284 hours of service. This translates into a cost savings of $9,309 (3 hours x $7.25/hour) for organizations versus using paid employees. These efforts supported local service organizations and empowered 4-Hers to think about their ability to impact change in their community. 

5 Leslie County teens participated in the 2023 State Teen Conference. All 5 participants are currently members of Leslie County 4-H Teen Council and meet monthly. Brianna Gilbert, a NRESci ambassador helped plan the event along with many other leadership boards. She will continue her 4-H leadership journey as a State Teen Council member for the 2023-2024 year. She also received her Silver achievement award during the 2023 conference. All teens who attended showed interest in wanting to submit achievement applications for the upcoming year and one of those teens showed interest in applying for State Teen Council in the coming year. All 5 teens have already stated they plan to attend the 2024 State Teen Conference and also showed interest in attending SRTLC in the fall. 

Mason Asher stated his favorite part of Teen Conference was the opportunity to meet other like-minded youth who want to build a better Appalachia. 

Isaiah Caldwell enjoyed experiencing what it’s like to be a college student. His major was Natural Resources 4 and he loved participating in archery activities. 

Danny Bowling loved her major, she loved learning new things, meeting new people and observing different learning paths. 

Logan Sizemore enjoyed spending time on one of UK’s farms. 

Brianna Gilbert says State Teen Conference is a great opportunity that enhances leadership and social skills. 

Leslie County 4-H continues to step into leadership roles throughout our county and state.

Total Demographics For 2023 Teen Conference