As they say, practice makes perfect, and what better example of such than public speaking? Local 4-H members gathered the courage to present at the first unit-wide 4-H Public Speaking Contest hosted by Illinois Extension serving Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, and Wayne counties on Monday, February 17.
“Communication is the key to being successful, and we are proud that eight youth from our five-county unit choose to improve that skill,” said Samantha Gaither, Illinois Extension 4-H youth development educator. “We look forward to continuing this event in the coming years and hope to encourage more youth to hone that skill.”
Speeches ranged from poetry recitations to formal speeches, with members competing at beginner and advanced levels. The top five speeches were awarded as follows:
First place: Levi Clodfelter, Richland County
Second place: Alex Paul, Wayne County
Third place: Seth Clodfelter, Richland County
Fourth place: Kelly Hinderliter, Edwards County
Fifth place: Titus Anderson, Lawrence County
All are eligible to advance to the Illinois 4-H Public Speaking Contest on April 26 in Champaign as delegates for their counties. Naomi Anderson was also selected as a state fair delegate for Lawrence County.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.