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.)
