Success StoryMadison County 4-H Communications Contest
Madison County 4-H Communications Contest
Author: Julia Reid
Planning Unit: Madison County CES
Major Program: Communications & Expressive Arts
Plan of Work: Develop and Strengthen Leadership and Life Skills
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
We can all agree that public speaking is one of the most important skills a young person can have, right? It is also a widely known fact that public speaking is one of the most common fears across the nation. 4-H has county, area, and state level communications contests at which kids can participate and excel. Madison County 4-H had 2 participants in our county contest in 2020. In 2024, just 4 years later, we had so many youth participating, we had to split our communications contest into 2 nights. We hosted a demonstration contest one night and had our speech and interview contests a separate night. Finally, in 2025, we had 14 youth give a mock interview, 26 kids give a demonstration, and 37 kids give a speech! We grew from 2 to 77 in just 5 years! Sometimes the youth do not appreciate the opportunity to talk in front of people this way, but countless parents have told us how excited they are for their kids to practice public speaking! We had 14 youth that qualified ot move on to the area contest, held in May. From there, we had 12 youth that qualified to move on to the state level! I know this shows a high quality group of youth who are refining their skills and demonstrating their incredible abilities!
Stories by Julia Reid
Madison County 4-H Communications Contest
We can all agree that public speaking is one of the most important skills a young person can have, r... Read More
Let's get Growing with Madison County 4-H Gardening Day Camp
DThere are so many benefits or gardening, especially for youth. Spending more time outside, growing ... Read More
Stories by Madison County CES

Central Kentucky Hay Contest
Kentucky has long been known for our Bluegrass Pastures and green, rolling hills. We have an abundan... Read More

Emergency Disaster Preparedness Program-hosted with Bluegrass Area FCS Agents
Kentuckians have experienced firsthand how natural disasters can occur any time and often with littl... Read More
Stories by Communications & Expressive Arts

Growing Through 4-H - A Journey of Life Skills in Action
Growing Through 4-H – A Journey of Life Skills in ActionEssential life skills include communication,... Read More

Middle School Communication and Leadership skills developing
Youth leadership opportunities in 4-H clubs are a fundamental aspect of 4-H Youth programs. Partneri... Read More
© 2024 University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment