CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 11/18/03

82nd National 4-H Congress convenes in Atlanta

By Cat Holmes
University of Georgia

Thanksgiving weekend will be about more than turkey and football for the more than 1,200 U.S. teens who are headed to Atlanta for the 82nd National 4-H Congress.

The youths, ages 14-19, will attend a variety of educational programs and cultural events during the five-day congress Nov. 28-Dec. 2.

Highlights of the program include performances by Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap; the U.S. Army Ground Forces Band; and Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, author and former 4-H'er Rick Bragg.

"'Growing Into the Future,' is the theme of this year's Congress, and the big focus is environmental awareness," said Susan Stewart, director of National 4-H Congress.

"These kids come because they've excelled in the 4-H program at home," Stewart said. "They come from 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and they're coming to Atlanta to learn more."

The delegates will have a range of educational programs to choose from. Some will tour the earth-friendly, sustainable home at Southface Energy Institute. The educational staff from the Atlanta Aquarium will present a program, "One world, one ocean." Lonice Barrett, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, will conduct a session on "Gettin' involved and makin' a difference."

Delegates will also do community service projects. On Monday, 300 4-H'ers and Miss America will set up and decorate trees for Atlanta's Festival of Trees, which benefits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Other delegates will get involved in service projects at Zoo Atlanta, Grant Park, five area public schools, Goodwill Industries, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Big Trees Forest Preserve and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

"Since National 4-H Congress came to Atlanta in 1998, delegates have participated in a wide variety of community projects," Stewart said. "They are encouraged to start similar service projects when they return to their own communities."

The idea of the congress is to teach skills that delegates can use in their own communities.

"4-H emphasizes leadership skills, youth empowerment and cultural diversity," Stewart said. "Congress delegates will return home prepared to 'grow into the future' in their own communities. Atlanta provides an excellent backdrop for the diversity of cultural experiences National 4-H Congress offers."

(Cat Holmes is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)

Cat Holmes was a science writer with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Susan Stewart
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.