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2023-2024 PRINCE WILLIAM 4-H CALENDAR

2023-2024 Prince William 4-H Calendar At A Glance

4-H events offer a variety of fun learning experiences for 4-H members throughout the year. These planned events provide opportunities to learn new things, gain leadership skills and have fun with kids with similar interests in the 4-H Pillars of Agriculture, Citizenship, Healthy Living and STEM.

4-H COMPETITIONS

LEARNING COMPETITIONS

4-H programming with youth is guided by an experiential learning process that includes goal setting, cognition, practice, and performance. The performance stage is when members demonstrate what they have learned through various 4-H activities and events, including competitions. Youth are scored against a published rubric. Competition experiences enhance positive youth development and prepare youth with positive competitive knowledge, skills, attitudes, and aspirations that can lead to success through life.  

• Share the Fun & Contest Day: Share-the-Fun and Contest Day are our most popular competitions and encourage 4-H’ers to display their talents in expressive arts and develop presentation skills and confidence performing in front of an audience. Judges evaluate 4-H performers based on talent, audience response, creativity, showmanship, and use of costumes/props. The goal is to help participants develop their talents in a creative and constructive manner, develop research and writing skills, learn computer skills, and improve communication skills. Competition categories include: presentations, extemporaneous speech, public speech, drama, dramatic reading, table setting, fashion review, science fair, radio and public address, and vocal-instrumental combo performance.  
• Project Records & Portfolios: 4-H Project Records form an excellent summary of a 4-H’ers career. Youth will use information in the 4-H records to complete 4-H resumés, Virginia 4-H All Star forms and in making application for jobs, scholarships and honors. 4-H Portfolios combine all 4-H experiences over the lifetime of the member. Both Project Records and portfolios are submitted annually to Prince William 4-H for scoring. Special interest clubs, such as horse and shooting education, require project records and portfolios prior to competing. 

DOING COMPETITIONS

Team and individual competitions provide opportunities for youth to develop the interpersonal, leadership and cooperative skills necessary to be successful in our interdependent and global society. 4-H'ers may progress from local to district, state, and national competitions.

• 4-H Food Challenge: 4-H teams learn kitchen and cooking safety, how to prepare nutritious meals and snacks, and key concepts of healthy living. Learning experiences focus on nutrition, food purchasing, food preparation, food safety, and related careers. This contest challenges teams of 4-H members to create a dish using only a predetermined set of ingredients. From these ingredients, team members must identify and prepare the dish, then make a presentation about it to the judges. 
• 4-H Shooting Education & Sports: This program uses shooting as a vehicle to teach youth life skills such as responsibility, self discipline, and teamwork. Firearm Safety and marksmanship are also taught using the disciplines of shotgun, skeet/trap, air pistol, air rifle, BB, small bore, muzzleloader, and archery.  
• 4-H Horse Competitions: Virginia’s 4-H horse program emphasizes project based learning about equine selection, nutrition, management, riding, recreation, fun, competition, horsemanship, and sportsmanship. Competitions focus on hippology and horsemanship.  
• 4-H Livestock Competitions: This animal science project enables youth to develop their interests in beef cattle, sheep, meat goats and swine. 4-H’ers learn about selection, care and feeding of livestock, animal health, and the importance of good record keeping. Competitions are available in livestock judging and stockmen’s contests, and livestock shows.  

PRINCE WILLIAM 4-H SPIN PROJECTS

Prince William 4-H Engage Locally: This annual local event in the fall provides 4-H'ers direct access to engage with local government officials, build citizenship skills, and increase their understanding of roles and responsibilities in the government. 

Prince William 4-H Young Entrepreneurs: This special interest project introduces youth to the basics of running a small business. From product design, to budgeting, to business finance, the 4-H'ers complete a series of four workshops leading up to an exciting market season! For Summer 2024, Prince William 4-H'ers will be showcasing their businesses and selling their products once a month at the Manassas Park Farmers' Market. Click here for the Prince William 4-H Young Entrepreneurs flyer. 

VIRGINIA 4-H EVENTS

Virginia 4-H Day at the Capitol: Prince William 4-H brings a youth delegation of members each January to Virginia 4-H Day at the Capitol. The event provides for youth to learn about governmental procedures and emphasizes the importance of citizen involvement in the governmental process. Participants visit with legislators sharing their 4-H experiences and learning about the role of legislators in the government. They observe the legislative process in action, have opportunities to learn about congressional aides and page programs, and have an opportunity to tour the Capitol, museums, or other historical sites in the Richmond area. 

Virginia 4-H Healthy Living Summit: Organized by the Virginia 4-H Healthy Living Ambassadors, The 4-H Healthy living Summit brings together teen 4-H members from all across the Commonwealth who share an interest in learning more about topics related to nutrition education, physical fitness, wellness, and emotional well-being. 

Virginia 4-H State Congress: State Congress is held annually at Virginia Tech and is open to senior 4-H members ages 14-19. The mission of Virginia 4-H State Congress is to provide competitive and noncompetitive educational experiences to Virginia teens, helping them to develop life skills and leadership abilities to become contributing citizens in their communities. Activities include state level competitions, educational workshops, dances, color walk, service learning opportunities, recognition of 4-H All Stars, and more. National award winners are selected to represent Virginia at National 4-H Congress.

Virginia 4-H State Shoot & Shotgun Championships: These are the premier annual events of the Virginia 4-H Shooting Education program. Qualified participants compete in archery, muzzleloading, pistol, rifle, and shotgun, demonstrating firearm safety and marksmanship. The educational program uses shooting as a vehicle to teach youth ages 9 to 19 life skills such as responsibility, self discipline, and teamwork. 

Virginia 4-H State Horse Show: This show is held in September at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Virginia. Classes are offered in hunter, western, jumper, English pleasure, games, drill team competition, gaited classes, and a variety of other disciplines.

4-H International Exchange Programs: There are 4-H international experiences which provide opportunities for teens and adult chaperones to spend a few weeks in Costa Rico, Finland or Japan. See the overview of the country offerings! The Overview shows the dates, programs fees for delegates, program fees for chaperones, airfare estimate, ages accepted for delegates, minimum and maximum group size, and description of the program. Contact Prince William 4-H Office if interested in applying for an exchange program: [email protected]

 

4-H Virginia Cooperative Extension
8033 Ashton Ave. Suite 105
Manassas VA 20109
703-792-6286

 

Virginia Cooperative Extension complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a person with a disability and require auxiliary aids services or other accommodations for a workshop or meeting please discuss your accommodation needs at least five days prior to the event with Virginia Cooperative Extension 703-792-6289/TDD PC 1-800-828-1120.