This is Behind the Clover: Real 4-H Talk with Real 4-H Pros. A look at 4-H from the perspectives of 4-H professionals from Illinois and beyond with your hosts, Henry Craft, Amy Henschen, and Ryan Littlejohn.
Henry Craft: 00:29Welcome to another episode of Behind the Clover. I'm Henry, here with my cohosts, Ryan and Amy, and we're back for more relevant conversations with Illinois 4-H staff. Today, we're continuing our youth leadership series by talking with none other than Katie Duitsman, Illinois 4-H leadership specialist. We'll give her a formal intro in a bit, but first, we're gonna invite her into our standard roundtable. So as always, we like to push it around the table.
Henry Craft: 00:59What's going on in life right now for all of us? Amy, you're up first.
Amy Henschen: 01:05Well, y'all, I'm I'm a data person, so it's like my data and staff development update time. So it's my time of year where I get things that are resources that we put out updated for next year. So I'm starting to think about updating the onboarding workbook, updating surveys. What survey gaps do we have that are things that we all could use? So I'm kind of in that process, so I feel bad.
Amy Henschen: 01:29All my state office colleagues are gonna be getting a lot of emails from me over the next few weeks that are like, hello. I'm updating this now. Do you have anything you wanna add? Now it's this. Do you wanna set up a meeting for this?
Amy Henschen: 01:41So it's gonna be a fun little couple months for me because this is the time of year that I'm a little slower. That's I'm putting that in air quotes because I'm sure I've jinxed myself now, and I'm now doomed to have 17 fires pop up tomorrow. But I'm excited to be catching up, so that's a good feeling. So that's kind of what's going on in my work life right now. And I'm trying to just keep crocheting.
Amy Henschen: 02:02That's my other home life project. I'm, like, coming finding fun patterns to continue this new hobby of mine. So I have a crochet date with my niece this weekend because she really wants to go to state fair. And I said if she really wants to go to state fair this year, then she probably needs to start working on her county fair projects now. So we're gonna have a crochet date where we're gonna look at some stuff she could make and maybe get something done, whether that's the thing she ends up showing or not.
Amy Henschen: 02:31But I'm excited to spend some time with her, and then I'll get to crochet while she's working too. So that's kind of what's up with me. Henry, what's going on in your life?
Henry Craft: 02:38I will just say I'm really glad that it's an issue getting kids to start on fair projects, then it's not just mine. Okay? So please please just start working on it. Okay? Please.
Henry Craft: 02:52But, yeah, it's good. It is, speaking of, starting to get to fair season, so that's fun. Not part of my update, but very relevant for a lot of us in the 4-H world. Let's see. I I too have been deep in the data, so been working on some programs.
Henry Craft: 03:12I'm slowing down a bit as well, but that's because a lot of my signature programs are winding down for the semester. I start them early. So I've been doing some eval data collection and some PEARS reporting. So, yeah, I had, like, a couple hundred increase, man, in a matter of, oh, you know, a few hours. It felt kind of tingly inside.
Henry Craft: 03:37All exciting.
Amy Henschen: 03:39Here's your gold star, Henry, for doing your reporting on time. Good job.
Henry Craft: 03:43I just want it on record. Just saying. Anyway but I think last time we were on, I was talking about that big old tree that fell down in my backyard, and I am feeling it because I cut that thing up in a day. And it was it was a feat. So, for those that didn't catch it, I had a giant willow that fell down in a wind storm recently, and, no one harmed.
Henry Craft: 04:12Don't worry. Except for my shoulder and back. I am I'm a little disgruntled there. But, definitely took some time and, yeah, I had to get innovative. I used my zero turn lawnmower, a clamp, and a sled, and I didn't have to move a single stump.
Henry Craft: 04:31I just put it in the sled. Yeah. So if you need some ideas on how to do things smarter, not harder, I'm your guy. So, anyway, Ryan, what's up?
Ryan Littlejohn: 04:43Henry, I have to say that that is the only way I move. I don't even cut a tree up. I just hook it up to the four wheeler, put a rope around it, and drag it to the burn pile. And then I pick up all the limbs along the way. It's so much easier.
Henry Craft: 05:00Man, I don't know if I could've done that with this monster, but I I would've tried if I'd have had the idea earlier. Katie, what's up?
Katie Duitsman: 05:09With all the recent storms, my kids are now to the age where they can finally pick up sticks. So it's been a game changer in our household. I've they've been doing this money matters curriculum in their 4-H club. And so I've been given pennies for buckets of sticks and dragging them. So they've had their little four wheelers out and their little gators out picking up sticks for us, which has just been a total lifesaver with all these storms recently.
Henry Craft: 05:35That's a steal of a deal. A penny a bucket, man. You can't pay somebody for that. Well, you are.
Katie Duitsman: 05:42Taking advantage of the low prices for my clover buds.
Henry Craft: 05:47Hear. Hear. Hear. Hear. Well, you know what, Katie?
Henry Craft: 05:50Why don't you let us know what's going on with you right now?
Katie Duitsman: 05:53Well, spring is packed full of civic engagement and leadership activities. So I'm actually getting ready to head to DC for National 4-H Conference. And I'm in the swing of things with Speaking for Illinois 4-H trainings and some of our legislative visits. So really busy coordinating speaking engagements and kid activities right now.
Amy Henschen: 06:13Hey, Katie. Like, why don't you tell us? Because I'm sure some people on listening have never actually either heard of a National 4-H Conference or, like, kinda know, like, what is it and what's it all about. So just could you give us a little brief elevator pitch on what that event is?
Katie Duitsman: 06:31Yeah. This is actually my first time heading out to National 4-H Conference. I'm excited to see it. This one, Patty, normally takes, youth out to. But this is our premier, USDA event.
Katie Duitsman: 06:43So NIFA and USDA puts it on. So this is our premier legislative event. So kids will get to go to DC. They may be asked to do presentations at the Department of Ag or the Department of Defense or the EPA. So it's a great opportunity for them to use their youth voices, work as a team, and they'll present something.
Katie Duitsman: 07:01There's also some great tours while they're out there, and we'll go to do go to the capital to do some legislative visits while we're there too. And then we actually have a youth serving on that planning committee this year, so it'll be fun just to get to go cheer him on and support him in that too.
Amy Henschen: 07:17That's awesome. And how many kids do we normally send to this every year?
Katie Duitsman: 07:21We usually take five, but with having someone on the planning committee this year, we're gonna have a sixth person.
Amy Henschen: 07:28Awesome. That's an event I haven't had the opportunity to go to yet either, so that's pretty cool. I can't wait to hear more about it.
Katie Duitsman: 07:33Yeah. Patty and I have always had this, like, competition of which 4-H event is more fun: National 4-H Conference or Congress. So now I'll be able to settle a score. So I told her that at some point, she's gonna have to go to Congress so we can, like, compare notes a little bit. Because kids are really conflicted which one's their favorite, but they're both just great opportunities just to get to network and get to know kids from all over the country.
Ryan Littlejohn: 07:58I will have to say Congress is probably I've never been, but I've heard Congress is fun. And the only reason I know this is because my cousins went when I was first in 4-H from Kansas. And, you know, they trade pins at 4-H conferences all over. K? Doesn't matter what level it is, shooting sports or Congress or Conference.
Ryan Littlejohn: 08:19K? My cousins made me spray paint, Dorothy's slippers, her little red ruby slippers. I that was my job. I went over to their house, and I just sat there and spray painted. And that's how I got points on my award application, my very first year in 4-H .
Ryan Littlejohn: 08:36I was just they're they're a little minion. So I'm sure it'll be fun.
Amy Henschen: 08:41That's a pretty good pin. I like that. So, like like, red ruby slippers courtesy of Kansas. I like it.
Ryan Littlejohn: 08:48I got some really great news today. So this is my exciting update. We got brand new swine pens in our barn to replace the 75 year old swine pens that we had originally that had wood gates and are like, the fence post in them are, like, four feet in the ground and it's concrete all around. It's just awful. Kids couldn't get the gates open.
Ryan Littlejohn: 09:12I was just so excited when I walked out to the fairgrounds this morning and saw that. I knew the fair board was working on that, but it's exciting for the kids. It's just great. What I love about fair is we have nice facilities here in Wayne County, and we have a fair board that loves us. So that makes a big difference too.
Ryan Littlejohn: 09:32Other than that, if you listened back to our episode with Tara, the county director, you would have learned that I like to rearrange my office. And Henry and Amy, I don't know if you've realized, but I rearranged my office again when I came back from leave. So I'm facing a new way. I got a window behind me. I can see out.
Ryan Littlejohn: 09:53I can look to my left, and I can see the pollinator plot and birds, and I can see every car that drives by. So it's just I'm living the best life now. And I can't move my desk again because it's gonna fall apart if I do.
Henry Craft: 10:07Did you do that in flip flops?
Ryan Littlejohn: 10:10I did have my Chacos on. Yes.
Henry Craft: 10:13Oh my goodness.
Amy Henschen: 10:14Okay. Chacos are not flip flops. I just would like to make that abundantly clear. We've had this discussion before.
Ryan Littlejohn: 10:20But they're not a classic sandal.
Amy Henschen: 10:22There's definitely there is no toe protection on that, though. That's true. I love how you optimize your life at every op like, you're like, nope. Not optimized enough. I'm gonna try another another arrangement.
Amy Henschen: 10:33It's just kinda like a deep need of yours.
Ryan Littlejohn: 10:36I have three workspaces. I've got so much room here now, and I've got tables all over the office with my fair binders scattered everywhere right now. It's just great.
Amy Henschen: 10:47Well, I'm glad you're, like, in a good a good physical place to set you up to be at a good mental place to work. That's great. I think that's I need a I need a tidy up day in my office to get my mental headspace a little bit better, so maybe I'll schedule that in the next few weeks. Awesome. Well, thanks for all the catch up, y'all.
Amy Henschen: 11:07I we have a kind of a fun question for our little roundtable today. So we wanna hear about a funny car mishap or driving mistake you've made or watched someone else make. So does anyone have one of these that off the top of their head of something that either you've done or maybe been a witness to that you wanna share?
Ryan Littlejohn: 11:29This is very vivid in my memory because I'm so young. I can still remember a lot of things. I was like...
Amy Henschen: 11:36Oh,come on. You're so young. Just rub it in our faces, Ryan.
Ryan Littlejohn: 11:40We determined I'm not that young. Remember, I was still born around I grew up with nineties things. But I was in fourth grade and my mom had a Ford van. I don't know what the exact model was, but there was a two of these exact vans in our school. My mom had one and another mom had one.
Ryan Littlejohn: 12:03And I got out of school one day, and I was walking straight to the van. I saw it. I just got in, opened up the passenger door, sat down, looked over, and I said, what's for dinner, mom? And that was not my mom. So I was little embarrassed by that.
Ryan Littlejohn: 12:19I got out real quick, shut the door, and, told my mom about it years later. And I'd I'm pretty sure that mom told my mom what happened, and everyone thought it was funny. But, like, still haunts me to this day that I'm gonna get into the wrong vehicle.
Amy Henschen: 12:34Okay. Hilariously, this is I have a very similar story, but no person witnessed it. So I borrowed a work vehicle. It was like worked for the local government. So I had a it was a white minivan and was dropping flyers off at the local senior center and different places around town.
Amy Henschen: 12:54So in the senior center, pretty busy lot. They're also a government agency. So guess what's in the parking lot? Lots of white minivans. So I drop off flyers, and I get back in the car, I get in the passenger.
Amy Henschen: 13:04I mean, like, I unlock and the door opens, so I just assume this is my white minivan. I sit down, and then I noticed there is a giant Saint Bernard dog in the passenger seat next to me. And I am not a dog person, and I am and this dog is huge. So I just, like, slowly was like, oh my god. Is this dog going to attack me?
Amy Henschen: 13:24I mean, it's probably very confused that this random lady got in the car. But no witnesses other than that dog. I successfully just slowly got out of the car and then, like, set the alarm off on my keys to find my actual work vehicle. But that's great that we both have gotten in the wrong vehicle. Love it.
Katie Duitsman: 13:44As a mom and a minivan driver, I have the most common car in the world, a red minivan. So just last week at Barnes and Noble, I got in the wrong one. And I actually was with my husband, and he was like, that's not your car. And I was like, I can't hear you. Yep.
Katie Duitsman: 13:59Totally happens all the time. My kids will walk up to the wrong vehicle. I will I try to open all the time.
Henry Craft: 14:06I think one time I was at the grocery store, and I got into my own vehicle. And some some old lady was like, why are you getting in my car? It looked exactly like her car. And I had to talk her down, man. And I'm a really kind guy.
Henry Craft: 14:21I've got the the gift of the gab, so to speak. And so I was like, it's okay. I didn't I'm this this is totally mine. I got the keys. Look.
Henry Craft: 14:31I'll start it. Yeah. It that was intense. But, you know, these are pretty popular in the news these days. But my parents bought a Tesla a while back, and I refused refused to get in that vehicle.
Henry Craft: 14:50And when I not because of the reasons that you might think for popular news, but I was coming back from National Food Challenge, and my wife couldn't pick me up from the Indy Airport, and so my mom had to come. And she brought that stinking Tesla. Now for a car and a company, whatever. I don't care. But the auto drive function, OMG, I can't do it.
Henry Craft: 15:20I might also have control issues and to have a machine that every so often and she says it's been repaired, so it doesn't do this anymore. But we're driving down the Indy Highway from the airport, and every so often, when something would pass us, the car would jerk, and she wouldn't hold the steering wheel. And it was like, oh god. I'm gonna die. And so I told my father, I will never ride in her death trap again.
Henry Craft: 15:50For those of you that are big Tesla fans, good on you. I just have control issues, and I can't do that. I can't do the auto drive. It's because I'm an old fogey, Ryan, and I grew up in the nineties.
Amy Henschen: 16:04I would like to point out, I watch Mark Rober videos religiously. I don't know if anyone else watches Mark Rober. He's like a former NASA jet propulsion lab engineer, and he makes fun he makes fun things and makes videos on my YouTube. And he just did one where they tested a LIDAR autopilot car versus which is like uses sound waves to sense stuff versus Tesla, which uses cameras. And they did, like, the Wiley Coyote test where they, like, took a picture of what's in front of the road and put it on a wall.
Amy Henschen: 16:35Luckily, it was a Styrofoam wall to see if the cars would stop. And the one with the sound waves obviously stopped, and the Tesla just drove straight through the wall. Not that, you know, you're generally putting a picture of the road in front of you, but I'm like, what if there's a really nice mural like, a really accurate mural at the end of a road on a building? Like, I I worry about that autopilot sometimes.
Henry Craft: 16:59Well, there you go. I've only ridden in one once, and now you just escalated my fears. Thank you so much.
Ryan Littlejohn: 17:07My aunt and uncle bought a Tesla. My uncle got a bonus at work, and my aunt wanted to go to Rome. And my uncle wanted a Tesla, and they ended up with a Tesla. And my aunt Henry refuses to get in it because she's afraid it'll kill her. So you're not the only one with this fear.
Ryan Littlejohn: 17:26I mean, it I get it. It's like a self driving tractor. I wouldn't get in one of those. Well, as we said before, our guest today is Katie Duitsman. We're gonna learn a little bit about her, and then we're gonna talk just a little bit about 4-H leadership and what her job is as the 4-H specialist.
Ryan Littlejohn: 17:44Katie grew up in Paxton, Illinois and now resides just outside of Saint Joseph, Illinois. Katie serves as the Illinois 4-H leadership specialist and has been part of the 4-H team for the past five and a half years. Her connection to 4-H runs deep. She was a ten year member in Ford County, and her parents dedicated over thirty years as club leaders. 4-H has always been a cornerstone of her life, and now she's embracing a new chapter in 4-H as a 4-H parent, continuing the 4-H legacy and her family.
Ryan Littlejohn: 18:17Welcome, Katie. We're so glad you could join us. Why don't you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your job here at 4-H ?
Katie Duitsman: 18:25Awesome. Thanks for having me today, guys. I love listening to your podcast, so I was excited to be able to join you on one of them. Like Ryan said, I was a ten year 4-H member myself. I was a member of the Walltown 4-H club in Paxton, Illinois and a member of the Ford Iroquois 4-H Federation.
Katie Duitsman: 18:44So 4-H has always been in my blood. Like he said, both of my parents and even some of my grandparents were members. So for me, it's been a generational thing for my family. And now it's been fun to watch some of my nieces and nephews join, and then my daughter has just started as cloverbuds as well. My parents actually met at the Ford County Fair, and they fell in love at an event a ski trip through 4-H .
Katie Duitsman: 19:06So it's kind of a funny story. And then they were club leaders for decades. So some of my earliest memories were at the back of the building that we did the 4-H meetings at, like, playing with some people who ended up being, you know, my friends down the road when we were old enough to get into 4-H . And then as a 4-H member, I showed livestock. So I mainly showed swine, but also goats, sheep, poultry, you name it.
Katie Duitsman: 19:32I probably tried to show it at one point. And then I also did some general projects. Then growing up on a small family passion for ag education, and that's what led me to the University of Illinois to study ag education and leadership. So it's always been something that I've been passionate about. Funny enough, when I was in college, I actually had an internship with Extension.
Katie Duitsman: 19:56And every day, I filed paperwork and checked travel vouchers to verify the mileage, which wasn't a overly fulfilling job, especially for someone like me who has a gift of gab and likes to get around people. So I swore down the road. I would never work for Extension. So after college, I actually worked in the grain industry for a few years before heading into the classroom. And I taught agriculture for six years at Saint Joseph Ogden High School where I was also an FFA adviser.
Katie Duitsman: 20:30I love being around teens and teaching in a classroom and helping them kinda develop some of their leadership skills and college and career readiness skills. But when my daughters were born, it kind of shifted my universe a little bit, and I decided I needed a change of pace for myself. So word got around in the grapevine that I was looking for something else, and I got a call from somebody at the state 4-H office. So it's been kind of a full circle moment for me because 4-H has been a cornerstone in my childhood. And I do think it really shaped me into the person that I am today from maybe the leadership skills I developed as a club officer to the responsibilities of raising livestock or serving my community, and it all played a huge part in who I am.
Katie Duitsman: 21:16So despite my earlier vow about working for Extension, coming back to 4-H has felt like coming home, and has been one of the best decisions for me and my family. And I love getting to come to work every day and do something meaningful and getting to be around awesome staff and volunteers.
Henry Craft: 21:33Awesome. Well, it's funny how life works, isn't it? You you make a vow and then the universe says, actually, we're gonna put you right here. So but we're glad we're glad that you're here. You get to come and lead the leadership portion of 4-H each and every day.
Henry Craft: 21:53You you have twins. Right?
Katie Duitsman: 21:55Yes. I actually have two sets of twins. So I have six year old twins, and I also have three year old twins. So we are very busy.
Henry Craft: 22:05Yeah. I couldn't imagine doing that as an FFA adviser. So good move, I think. Well done.
Katie Duitsman: 22:12Yeah. Lots of nights and weekends.
Henry Craft: 22:14Yeah. For sure. But, yeah, I just it's a small world because I actually get to see Katie's mom and brother and sister-in-law and their girls in our unit in Unit 17. Every summer, I get to get to see Katie's mom. And so it's a small world, lots of fun.
Henry Craft: 22:36And, yeah, sometimes Katie at at the fair to support her nieces. So it's it's pretty fun that way that we get to have these small worlds down here. But yeah. Anyway, very good. So, Katie, we gotta know.
Henry Craft: 22:51How do you, as a busy mom of two sets of twins, spend your time and decompress either from your 4-H gig or, you know, just being a mom?
Katie Duitsman: 23:07That's a great question. Not a whole lot of time to do any of those things. But in the summer, you can catch me at the lake. We have a permanent campsite and a boat. So we love to do outdoors things, like fishing and going boating, and we love water sports and paddle boarding.
Katie Duitsman: 23:25So that's how I kind of relax and decompress. But I'm also an avid reader, so you'll usually find me with my nose in a book when I get the chance.
Amy Henschen: 23:36I feel like 4-H a lot of 4-H people are like, I just wanna be out on the lake has been a reply on quite a few of our our folks who we've interviewed, and I love that. I wanna be on the lake too, especially if there's no cell reception that I definitely wanna be there because then work can't get ahold of me. It's the best. Love that. Well, Katie, we've got a silly question for you today, and maybe we'll throw our responses in on this one too.
Amy Henschen: 24:00So we wanna know, when you think about mythical creatures in in in stories, in books, in movies, in films, in myths, like, which one do you wish actually existed in real life? So if you wanna pick, like, a specific one or, like, a type of mythical creature, we're curious because we think it'll tell us something about you.
Katie Duitsman: 24:22I threw this one out to my family, and I got a lot of mermaids and unicorns having three little girls. I feel like all the time we talk about mythical creatures like this, but I'm also a big fantasy reader. So for mine, it's probably dragons. I really like books with dragon riders, and they're tough and cool and interesting. So that's probably what I would pick.
Katie Duitsman: 24:44But you can't go wrong with a unicorn either, you know, with the rainbow hair and it can fly. What about you guys?
Amy Henschen: 24:53I love my nieces would second all of your they'd be like, obviously, mermaids and unicorns. There's no other choices. But I'm a bird girl, so I'm going phoenix. I want there to be a real phoenix that rises from the ashes and maybe cries. I don't I don't actually know a lot of phoenix lore, but I don't based on Harry Potter, it has healing tears.
Amy Henschen: 25:11I don't know if that's, like, normal phoenix lore or Harry Potter only Phoenix lore, but I think it'd be pretty sweet if that was a real thing.
Ryan Littlejohn: 25:18I'm with you on this one, Amy. The phoenix all the way. I I just I think for me, it has to deal with the fire. I like playing with fire, so.
Henry Craft: 25:28Yeah, so let's see. I think my first thought went to a griffin. Yeah. So, like, the part eagle, part lion. Not to be confused with the hippogriff.
Henry Craft: 25:44Okay? Let's I don't I don't I think that one's a little too blase, you're coming after me with a raptor and a lion mix. I I mean, that's exhilarating. Just saying. So those would be my answers.
Ryan Littlejohn: 25:59Well, we like hearing true stories about 4-H . And we always wanna know, Katie, like, what's your favorite story or experience from your time with 4-H ? From working with us, being in 4-H , just what do you got?
Katie Duitsman: 26:17For me, I think it comes down to any time that I get to hang around kids. I guess I just love watching them throughout their 4-H career and seeing them grow and change. Just I love mentoring teens. So watching them, like, kind of develop themselves into the potential that I always saw into them was always one of my favorite parts. But probably my favorite is a lot of things that happened at the Junior Leadership Conference.
Katie Duitsman: 26:43That one's hosted by the Youth Leadership Team, and there's nothing better than those shy, awkward junior high students who come in all nervous and afraid and, you know, won't leave mom and dad's side. And by the end of it, made a lot of great friendships and kinda gotten out of their shell. And for me, that's when I really start to see the spark in their eye when it comes to leadership and some of the different, like, potential that there is in 4-H as they transition into their high school 4-H career. So I really love that. And then it's been really fun because some of them who I've seen attend also turned around and are now on my team.
Katie Duitsman: 27:21So it's kind of a full circle thing. That's what I've kind of liked. What about you, Amy?
Amy Henschen: 27:27Well, I just think I love that you were saying, like, these experiences like Junior Leadership Conference. There is really something powerful about having kids for more than, like, an hour or, you know, three hours on any given day because you really can see such a big change like you highlighted from when they get dropped off to when they leave two days later. And that's, like, such a powerful thing with overnights that I think, like, if we can look for more opportunities to kinda recreate that magic in at, like, local levels because it really can be just so empowering to you to see, but also so life changing for those kids to just build that confidence, build those friendships, build those skills, and just leave a completely different person. I I because I've helped with countless camps between my time in Colorado and Illinois. And, yeah, that end of little camper conference, like, just watching those kids leave as just different people than when they came is just such a it's an invigorating feeling that really makes you feel like the work we do matters.
Henry Craft: 28:31Yeah. I will say, I I think it's really great to have our youth connect not only to those pathway programs. My son definitely benefited from last year's JLC. And just the work that you and the YLT team put into that, man, is is stellar because not everybody gets opportunities like that. And just to sometimes I just think, man, what an awesome job to be able to either either expand what leadership youth already have or start them on that journey just would is is a fantastic opportunity.
Henry Craft: 29:09Not that I need to tell you that. You're you get to live it every day. But, Katie, we want to invite you to share a little bit more specifically about your position because in our podcast, you know, one of the things we're trying to do is shed light on just different different 4-H experiences, different professional level things for our state staff. And so what I wanna know is I want, in your words, for you to tell me kind of what what do you see are your responsibilities as the state leadership specialist, and how how can you support staff at the unit and county levels to foster effective youth leadership and do some of those things that Amy is saying to bring that to the county and unit level?
Katie Duitsman: 30:02That's a great question. I my goal is to center my work around just advocating for youth and making sure that they have a voice at the table and kinda guide the 4-H program and have a say in some of the important decisions that we have, which is what makes my work with the youth leadership team and the Speaking for Illinois 4-H team really valuable for me. But a big part of my job is supporting staff. So answering questions, helping figure out what they need, working for them and the needs that they have. So developing and curating resources, keeping a bank of resources to share so staff aren't always reinventing the wheel.
Katie Duitsman: 30:42All of our staff are so busy all the time. And so if I can make their lives easier by giving them something that could be useful to them or sharing resources, that's definitely a goal of mine. And then, obviously, as state staff, we do provide professional development trainings for staff and volunteers. A big part of my work is also youth and adult partnerships. So I get tapped into that, you know, in other areas of Extension and across the college to kinda share our youth development perspective of things.
Katie Duitsman: 31:13And then one of my favorite parts of my job is just offering, like, individual consulting to some of our staff because working with this age group sometimes can have its challenges. So I love when I get a chance to sit down with staff and kinda help them figure out a plan for how to start a group or work through different scenarios or issues that might arise and just be a voice of support for them.
Amy Henschen: 31:38So anytime a state staff person says something like this, I just wanna pause and call it out. So this is state staff saying to you, don't be afraid to be like, hey. Can we meet to talk about x, y, or z? It's in your wheelhouse. Because as Katie just demonstrated, yes.
Amy Henschen: 31:56Yes. We can. We're really excited to do that. That's what we wanna do. We wanna see what your needs are and and help you develop strategies or connect you with the right resources to make something happen.
Amy Henschen: 32:07So the more specific you can be with what you need before setting up the meeting, the more prepared we can be. So I was just, like, reminding people, like, that's a great thing to remember. Don't be afraid of the state staff. I know sometimes people are like, oh, but they're busy or they're fancy. No.
Amy Henschen: 32:22We're normal people. We're you're busy too. We are busy. Don't be afraid to ask. We we we love to do consults.
Katie Duitsman: 32:30Yeah. And I also think that it helps us keep a pulse check on what's going on in the program and what the needs look like. So it helps, like, us better our work too and our strategy on how to approach things. So I think it's beneficial and probably one of the more rewarding things we get to do because we do have a lot of administrative tasks too that we have to do. So never be afraid to reach out.
Katie Duitsman: 32:54A lot of us are very blue too, so we are people people and love to help you out as well. One of the other big parts of my job that's kinda unique maybe to my role is some of the different partnership development that I do with stakeholders and donors. Because I am preparing some of our youth to go out and speak to those stakeholders, I get to have a unique relationship and sit on a variety of, like, board of directors or sit in different committee meetings with some pretty key stakeholders, whether it be in government affairs or with some of our foundation donors. So that's pretty exciting. And then I also get to help support the other state teams, so help the other state staff figure out what their recruitment strategy looks like, what their team's gonna look like.
Katie Duitsman: 33:43I help do a lot of recruiting at different events where we might see a large population of our 4-H youth. And then my favorite thing is my oodles of noodles. It's like what I like to call it. We have a whole storage unit at the state 4-H office full of fun goodies. We're talking icebreakers, team building, communication type of things.
Katie Duitsman: 34:05If you ever need supplies for a workshop, I have an abundance of it. So I love when staff want to borrow some of that and just to kind of freshen up some of the stuff that they have. So I have a lot of unique, fun activities if you're ever looking for something that you could use. And then I also train our team to go out and do, like, some different workshops. So as if as our field staff needs speakers or different workshops throughout the year, I try to connect them with youth who would also be able to assist them in that.
Katie Duitsman: 34:39So I spend a lot of time preparing and kinda coordinating some of those different activities. So if staff ever needs someone, I'm the person to call and help you fit your needs for an event.
Henry Craft: 34:50Yeah. I will just confirm and echo. I mean, Katie has been fantastic with our unit seventeen staff and consulting on some of our desires to get some more leadership related club activities, and it was perfect. We've got to we got to send a couple staff over to just sit down and pick her brain. And she's a fantastic resource.
Henry Craft: 35:15And like she said, very eager to help at that county level. So firsthand, witness there to the great support that we get from the state office.
Ryan Littlejohn: 35:28Thanks for joining us on this episode of Behind the Clover. Join us next time as we continue our conversation with Katie about youth leadership and the Illinois 4-H youth leadership team.