Released: March 21, 2002

Four Kansas Youth Selected for National 4-H Conference

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Four Kansas youth have been selected to represent the state as delegates to the National 4-H Conference in Chevy Chase, Md., April 6 to13.

The participating youth include Walinda Arnett of Barber County; Scott Driver, Franklin County; Dale Jessup, Phillips County; and Julia Stoskopf , Barton County.

This year’s conference features a program that challenges participants to focus on the "Power of YOUth," a statement that represents 4-H’s 100-year celebration, according to Lindy Lindquist, an associate 4-H specialist with K-State Research and Extension.

Lindquist added that the goal is to help youth further develop the power they possess – power in terms of their individual talents and knowledge – and use it to make a difference in their communities.

"The key to building a global community rests in the hands of the world’s young people," said Virginia Gobeli, 4-H Youth Development program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Young adults are the glue that binds our world together. Without them, a global community is not possible."

Kansas 4-H representative Walinda Arnett is a 12-year member of Barber County’s Stampede 4-H Club and a freshman at Kansas State University.

"I look at the conference as a strong learning and growing experience for youth, and I feel I [will] benefit tremendously from this experience," she said.

Arnett has been active in 4-H as the south central Kansas representative to the Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Council. In her county, she has been a reading project leader, served on several committees and been a junior leader. She has received numerous awards related to her participation in 4-H activities. Her high school leadership activities included serving as reporter for the Student Council, president of Future Teachers of America, and chair of Teens as Teachers.

Scott Driver is an 11-year member of the ‘Burg Go-Getters 4-H Club and a junior at Williamsburg High School. He has previously served as a 4-H Ambassador, which included setting up a showcase at the Kansas State Fair and giving tours to preschoolers at the county fair. He currently is president of his local 4-H club and a member of both the county 4-H Council and Program Development Committee. He now has chaired or been a member of more than 20 local and county committees.

"My leadership abilities are one of the most important skills I’ve learned through 4-H," Driver said. "I use the leadership skills I have obtained in planning and directing the various organizations that I’m involved in. All of this training has helped me develop the leadership skills that I will use in life, no matter what I’m called upon to do."

At school, Driver is involved with Future Farmers of America, Future Business Leaders of America, Student Council, the Scholar Bowl and the principal’s advisory committee. In the community, he is involved with the Masonic Lodge and Kiwanis.

Dale Jessup, a 12-year member of the Iowa Union 4-H Club, is a freshman at Kansas State University. He also is the current president of the Kansas Youth Leadership Council.

"The most important skill I have learned [in 4-H] is leadership," he said. "Leadership is an all-around skill that is used in everyday life. From 4-H to school to the business world and being a member of the Kansas Youth Leadership Council, leadership has played an [important] role in achieving goals that not only I have, but also those of the group."

Julia Stoskopf is a 10-year member of the Eureka Homesteaders 4-H Club and a junior at Hoisington High School. She’s now president of the 4-H Council in Barton County and has served on the 4-H Council budget and promotional committees. She has helped organize the 4-H public fashion revue, bucket calf show, and Chamber of Commerce coffee.

Last summer, Stoskopf was selected for the Kansas Regents Honors Academy. She then represented her high school last fall at a Teens Against Smoking Conference.

"The most important skill I have learned through 4-H is how to work hard," Stoskopf said. "A lot of time and effort has been behind every beef animal I have shown or any speech I have ever given. 4-H has also shown me the value of hard work when I [see] the awards or recognitions [that are] are a result of my own hard work."

Beth Hinshaw, a 4-H Youth Development specialist with K-State Research and Extension’s area office in Hutchinson, will serve as the trip coordinator for Kansas’ delegation.

To learn more about educational opportunities available through 4-H, interested persons may contact their local K-State Research and Extension office.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News