4-H holds district competition at the University Mount Olive

Each year, 4-H members come together for a day of friendly competition. This year, the University of Mount Olive was the host venue for the Southeast District competition held on Friday, June 14.

The all-day event had over 200 participants along with the families that came to support them. During the competition, there were over 30 categories kids could enter such as arts and communications, char grill cook-offs, livestock and dairy competitions, horticulture and much more.

Students were broken up into groups by age and category so that they were provided an intimate presentation experience. The goal was to make them feel comfortable and confident in their speech or presentation. Depending on the category they were given, they had a certain amount of time to present in front of three judges. The judges panel was made of community leaders that agreed to a day of service to the youth.

4-H is known for its work in building up youth and their ability to be leaders. Students who enroll are taught public speaking and presentation skills along with gathering knowledge in a variety of topics. It is a part of each county’s cooperative extension office, and any child between the ages of 5-18 can participate. NC has five districts in 18 counties, and the Southeast district has been fortunate enough to be the largest district.

“Each county brings a group of 4-H students to participate in various competitions to teach things like leadership skills, how to build self-confidence, how to be motivated so it’s a very good program in terms of developing leaders and turning them into better people,” explained Southeast District Extension Director Dalton Dockery.

After the presentation the judges would give positive feedback and then tips to help the child do better the next time. Most categories allowed the judges to score them, and the top two will be able to participate in the state competition. All participants were given a participation ribbon, and at the end of the day an award banquet was given.

“I get excited every year to see how these kids have grown. They started out at eight years of age and all the way up to 16 or 17 years old. Some of them have been in it the whole time, but it’s mainly about teaching them leadership skills and how to become productive citizens,” stated Dockery.