4-H State Ambassador Update

My name is Riley and I am a second-year Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador from Winona County. Throughout October, 4-H'ers across the state have been busy with harvest, National 4-H week, service projects and remembering to re-enroll.

National 4-H Week

During the week of Oct. 2--8, 4-H'ers across the nation celebrated National 4-H Week. The Minnesota 4-H State Ambassadors promoted a National 4-H Week social media activity to inspire youth to share their 4-H experiences around daily themes on a public platform.

Kicking off the week, Sunday was dedicated to sharing service projects. I enjoyed seeing all the helping hands across Minnesota.

Monday's "Make a Meme Monday" had me belly laughing at the honesty when it comes to our amazing program. Some of our 4-H'ers have a knack for making people laugh!

On Tuesday, youth members shared how they have taught others about a 4-H project or activity.

Wednesday had the easiest theme of the week with "Wear it Wednesday." 4-H'ers were encouraged to wear a 4-H shirt. This day reminded me of things I forgot to grab at the Clovermart before the state fair ended. I will definitely be ready for when the winter sale opens.

Thinking of the Clovermart made "Thankful Thursday" even more heartwarming as it's an example of the work each of the Extension staff members put into making our program one to remember.

Finally, we had "Flashback Friday" for 4-H'ers to share a favorite 4-H memory. The state ambassador marketing and promotion committee highlighted my time in the dairy project on this day. I will forever cherish the memories I have made in 4-H.

Each of the themes presented throughout the week made me proud of every 4-H'er and the learning environment that we have created.

Statewide 4-H service project

This year the Minnesota 4-H State Ambassadors have created monthly service project challenges that coincide with the theme of "Branch Out and Go Green with Minnesota 4-H."

With the help of our amazing advisors, the state ambassador service committee has outdone itself by creating a webpage for the Minnesota 4-H statewide service project, which provides information on each monthly challenge and elaborates on what they all entail.

The challenge for November is to compost your pumpkins and gourds or make meals with them after Halloween. Throughout the year, the challenges may become increasingly difficult, but do not stress. It is perfectly acceptable to skip a month or revisit a challenge later based on what you have for supplies or what works for you. Our main goal is to promote service learning while helping communities across our state.

Thankfulness

Looking forward, we are entering a month of thankfulness. Not only am I thankful to the countless volunteers and staff members who make our program possible, but to the youth who keep it alive and thriving.

With another 4-H year upon us, I cannot wait to see what all of our 4-H'ers bring to the table. Remember to re-enroll in 4-H, and be on the lookout for Building Leadership and Understanding (BLU) and Teens Engaged in Emerging Leadership (TEEL) registration in December!