More than 500 Florida 4-H youth and volunteers will gather in Tallahassee on Wednesday for the annual 4-H Day at the Capitol. Sporting green shirts with the bold words “I Am the Revolution of Responsibility,” this year’s message addresses the misconception that youth are not informed of what’s going on in their communities and promotes the findings that youth are making a real impact every day.
The event, which is spearheaded by the State 4-H Council, allows 4-H youth to meet lawmakers and elected officials, including former 4-H member and Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam, and to experience civic engagement first hand.
“This is an excellent opportunity for young 4-H’ers to learn about the government and how it works, as well as senior 4-H’ers to gain more knowledge of their government,” said Kaitlyn Pace, Florida 4-H State Council historian and 2012 4-H Day at the Capitol chair.
4-H Day at the Capitol gives 4-H Youth and volunteers the opportunity to promote to their legislators and government officials the positive impacts of the Florida 4-H program. Last year, Florida 4-H youth completed over 100,000 projects in the area of citizenship and leadership development. There will be attendees from Palm Beach County, including 63 4-H youth, family members and volunteers.
“Our Palm Beach 4-Hers really care about others,” said Jon Mayer, 4-H agent in Palm Beach County. “The kids volunteer throughout our community every year. For example, this year they have been collecting toiletries such as toothpaste, soap and other essential items, then donating them to organizations and people in need. Many of them even helped raise funds to make this trip possible.”
Founded in 1909, the Florida 4‐H Youth Development Program works annually with more than 230,000 young people, ages 5‐18, and nearly 15,000 volunteers. The program is active in all 67 counties and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Headquartered in Gainesville, it’s part of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
# # #
Government
