A Union County 4-H member, Tyler Loudon of Creston, was recognized for his accomplishments during the State 4-H Recognition Day March 30 on the Iowa State University campus. This statewide event, held each spring, is the culmination of the year’s recognition process.
The Iowa 4-H State Recognition process invites 4-H’ers from across the state to pursue state and national leadership opportunities and awards. Iowa 4-H members selected to be State 4-H Council members, National 4-H Conference delegates, National 4-H Congress delegates, Shooting Sports Ambassadors, Iowa 4-H Reporters and project area award recipients are selected and honored.
Fifty youth were selected around the state to win project area awards. These young people have demonstrated mastery, leadership, communication and service in a specific project area throughout their 4-H career.
Loudon will represent Union County with a state project award for beef.
The Iowa 4-H recognition process begins locally in each county and concludes each year with State 4-H Recognition Day. All Iowa 4-H’ers are welcomed and encouraged to participate in recognition events, whether at the local, state or national level. In order to apply, each member must determine their eligibility for the various state opportunities available – summarize their personal and project area goals and their experiences in and out of 4-H events and programs.
A three-member statewide award evaluation committee then reviews each application. The majority of the award opportunities culminate in an interview round, which is hosted as a full-day event in Ames, where each member is interviewed by their evaluation committee.
The Iowa 4-H Youth Development program values recognition as an important part of positive youth development. The 4-H recognition process has been designed to motivate young people to excel, foster self-appraisal skills, encourage individualized learning and encourage engagement into increasingly difficult challenges.
For more information on the Iowa 4-H program, contact your local county ISU Extension and Outreach office at mogrady@iastate.edu or 641-782-8426.