A study conducted by Princeton University found that youth involvement in citizenship and civic engagement leads to reduced risky behavior, increased success in school and leads to greater civic participation later in life. However, youth today are less likely than those in earlier generations to exhibit many important characteristics of citizenship. The Kentucky 4-H Issues Conference is an opportunity for youth to enrich their citizenship/civic engagement roles, enhance their leadership skills, develop public presentation skills, gain an understanding of local issues, and learn the process of addressing local issues. Lincoln County had 3 youth participate in the 2017 four-day intensive conference. Delegates were involved in 20 hours of hands-on experiences. Below are the results of the initial evaluation conducted after the conference.

·         91% of respondents are able to communicate with peers who are different than themselves.

·         91% of respondents have used the decision-making process taught during 4-H Issues Conference.

·         91% of respondents have confidence to speak in front of groups of different ages.

·         90% of respondents connected with at least one caring adult in a positive way.

·         99% of respondents have used skills learned during the conference at home, in school, or in their community.