Emily Comer, Clark County 4-H: The Dennis Goodman Grant allowed Emily Comer from District 4 to work with 4-H Agents in her district to plan and implement the District 4-H Middle School Leadership Academy. The experience started with the 4-H Middle School Retreat where 4-H middle school students developed leadership skills and had the opportunity to connect with others.  Classes included leadership exploration with the Kentucky 4-H President, breaking barriers, public speaking, and developing 4-H achievement applications. A total of 106 individuals attended the event, 90 middle schoolers and teen volunteers were actively engaged in the event. The group also had the opportunity to participate in a service project where they created 50 blankets that were delivered to the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky. Emily Comer and District 4 took leadership skills and created action!

Just over 70 of the participants completed the post evaluation of the retreat.  All questions were asked on a 5 point scale, with 5 being strongly agree and 1 being strongly disagree.  Below are the questions that they answered and the combined average point scale answered:

1. I gained a better understanding of what it means to be a 4-Her - 4.21

2. I learned a lot about leadership from this retreat - 4.23

3. I will go back to my county and step up in 4-H roles as a result of this leadership retreat - 4.04

4. Having a state 4-H officer present really enhanced the experience of this leadership retreat - 4.19

5. I will apply the skills learned at this 4-H retreat at other activities in home, school, or in the community - 4.27

6. I have improved communication skills (verbal, written, etc.) as a result of this leadership retreat - 3.97

7. I have a better understanding on how to listen to others with different ideas from me - 4.26