Providing youth with the ability to enhance and develop communication skills is of great importance in Kentucky.  The development of communications skills is one of the preeminent skills necessary to grow as an individual, a community member and a leader.   Using age appropriate activities selected from the approved Kentucky 4-H Communications & Expressive Arts Curriculum, educators can maximize the ability of youth to develop their writing, reading and personal communication capacities.  This in turn creates a solid foundation for positive youth development (Jones, K. R. 2006)

Trimble County 4-H sponsors a 4-H Speech and Demonstration Contest in the spring of each school year at Milton Elementary School.  Participants include every 4^th grader each year.  The 4-H Agent supplies each participant with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Speak Up publication.  The participants then work at home and in class to prepare their speech or demonstration.   The Agent recruited 5 judges this spring to go into the schools and judge all of the demonstrations and speeches.  

This year 34 students ages 9-10 wrote and delivered a speech or demonstration in their classroom.  15 advanced to the county contest.  Of the 34 students at Milton Elementary School, every single participant showed up ready to give some type of demonstration.  Every year, we always have two to four students who shows up to the contest and doesn't have any demonstration to present.  This year, we had 100% participation in both classrooms.