Wednesday, March 25, 2015

4-H Congress Information and Registration is Now Available!


The statewide 4-H Congress will be held on June 15-18 on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.  This premier 4-H event is open to all senior 4-H members who will be 14 as of September 30, 2015 and not over 19 as of December 30 of this year.  The theme for this year's Congress is "Living the Legacy, 4-H Forever."
We are currently accepting registration information at the Extension office.

**NEW THIS YEAR** The state 4-H office has made some changes to the registration process.  Instead of the two phase registration like they have done in the past, you will now choose your workshops at the same time that you send in your initial registration information.  It is important to get your information and registration in early if you would like to attend Congress this year because once workshops are filled up, they will not be available to be chosen.  We must have a health history form on file for you, the media release form, and code of conduct for every youth that goes.

The fee to attend Congress is $200 per participant.  HOWEVER... There are multiple funding opportunities available- the Congress Hero's program where you can find people to sponsor you to go to Congress- if you raise $250 then you only pay $100 to attend Congress; if you raise $300 then there is no cost to the participant to attend!  Or, if you compete at the district contest (give your presentation or speech, do extemporaneous speaking, radio spot, etc.) and then  compete at Congress there is a chance that you can earn a partial scholarship to attend.

Participants will have the choice to choose what competition workshop they would like to attend (if they are not competing), the Great Summer Showcase workshop that they would like to attend, and the College/Career Fair workshop they would like to attend.  The information and descriptions of all of these workshops can be found in the general information packet.

For more information, please visit the document library and look in the "4-H Congress 2015" folder to find the general information packet, congress hero form, registration form, and helpful tips for filling out the registration form.  You must turn this into the Extension office NO LATER THAN April 30, but again, the sooner the better to ensure that you get your first choice workshop choices!

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Sarah at the Extension Office.

New this year!  There will be an archery and shooting tournament at Congress!  No prior experience is necessary.

Examples of Great Summer Showcase workshop offerings:
**Note- this is just a small sample of workshops available.  Full descriptions of all workshops can be found in the General Information packet**

STEM

Solar Power
4-H members will learn the hands-on basics of producing energy the “green way.”  Participants will go outside to learn how to properly set up solar panels and measure the power they produce. The members will then look at wind energy by learning how to locate wind turbines and measure the wind they collect. Finally the members will learn how to produce energy from waste products by using a bio-digester.

National Weather Station Tour and SKYWARN Training
The effects of severe weather are felt every year by millions of Americans. The National Weather Service, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN with partner organizations. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of serve weather to the NWS. SKYWARN coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornados, severe thunderstorms, and flash floods. Participants will become official trained SKYWARN volunteers as well as tour the local NWS station in Blacksburg.

GoPro Movie
In this workshop you'll work with GoPro cameras to shoot your own action movie. We'll review the basics of GoPro moviemaking before going outside to shoot your movie. We'll end the session back in our multimedia lab where you'll use GoPro Studio to put your movie together.

Drones and Other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Tour the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Lab, learn about drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, and observe a demonstration. Learn about research being conducted with rotary and fixed – wing aircraft modified, the International Aerial Robotics Competition and the Unmanned Vehicle Competition.

Healthy Living

Salad Factory-Create One of a Kind Flavorful Salads
Create your own award winning salads while learning to prepare a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as salad dressings in a two hour workshop. Participants will explore flavors and textures of common salad ingredients. Create one of a kind flavorful salads and dressings that will satisfy any appetite. A feast for the nose and tongue!

Water Resistance Training
Come test your strength in water during the Water Resistance Exercise workshop!!! You will learn what exercises will help areas of your body and you will take home a guide of exercises you can do yourself. You will get information on where to get the resistance weights used in the class, and information for several exercises you can do though-out the summer. Like water? Come join use we will be wet and cool!!!! Girls need to wear one piece bathing suits and boys need to wear swimming shorts. Bring a towel to dry off from your dip in the pool. Class will last 90 min.

Communication and Expressive Arts

Fashion Merchandising
Are you a fan of Project Runway? Think you have what it takes to make it in the fashion industry? Come spend the afternoon with members of the apparel, housing, and resource management department. Together you will explore textiles, apparel, and more!

Citizenship

Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts!
Do you ever make assumptions or place people into certain categories based on what they wear, how they talk, or who their friends are? Learn what stereotypes are, how hurtful they can be, and why we should speak out against categorizing people based on things we “think” we know.

Animal Science

So You Want to Be a Large Animal Vet, Learn Food Animal Production Management Medicine 

Students will have opportunity to explore the exciting world of Production Management Medicine. This will center on an analysis of health and disease at the Virginia Tech Dairy cattle center. The experience will involve the examination of cows, records and laboratory results.