The State 4-H Citizenship Board recently held their summer meeting on July 7-9, 2010. It was a highly successful meeting in that the board members were able to get to know each other and work together on various levels.

On the first day, there were many icebreakers in which the board members participated. They played marshmallow dodgeball and had fun with M&Ms. There were also several trainings in which the board members participated such as voting, citizenship, service-learning, and Baton Rouge Green. The trainings were conducted by board sponsors and community leaders. It was a successful day and the board members learned a great deal of information.

On the second day, officers were elected, and they are as follows: Daniel Wendt – president; Kacie Spradley – vice president; Robert Lancon – secretary; Delvon Green – reporter; Claire Boudreaux – service-learning committee chair; CJ Koch – camp committee chair; Sarah Use’ – fundraising committee chair; Sydney Williams – government committee chair; Katie deVeer – communications committee chair. After these officers were elected, they took over for the remaining of the meeting. The board went to St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen to assist in serving food and water to the guests there. It was a very rewarding experience for all who attended.

The board members broke out into committees upon arrival back to the meeting facility. The breakout sessions were a huge success; so many plans came out of these meetings.

Government Committee: The government committee will be conducting a mock government course at Clover College. The will partner with the Executive Board to provide a track at JLC. They will also conduct a track at Citizenship Camp with items including mock trials, mock legislature, election education course, basic civics overview and much more. They will also head up activities at 4-H Day at the Capitol.

Service-Learning Committee: The service-learning committee decided to focus on the oil spill and the effects of it on the Louisiana Coast. The theme will be 4-H Goes 4G (Globally Growing and Geauxing Green). The committee will create a website that includes the following: curriculum and lesson plans, state/parish activities, information and statistics, a newsletter and links.

Citizenship Camp Committee: The citizenship camp slogan is “Setting Sail on the Citizen-ship.” The tracks that will be the focus at the camp are: government, character development, ethics, World War II Maneuvers, service-learning, technology awareness, and public speaking: impromptu and interviews.

Fundraising Committee: This committee has identified several ways to raise money for this year’s board. A few ideas are 4-H Alumni Drive, half/half tickets at tailgate party and an auction at the tailgate party.

After the committees reconvened and reported the outcomes, the board left for Skate Galaxy to have some fun, skate, play laser tag and get to know each other even better. This was a great deal of fun for everyone involved.

On the third day, there was a training on public speaking/interview skills, and the meeting concluded. The Citizenship board is truly excited about the upcoming year and looks forward to many successful projects.

Board members participate in an M&M icebreaker. Board members participate in marshmallow dodgeball. Board members prepare items to bring to St. Vincent de Paul. Board members prepare items to bring to St. Vincent de Paul. Board members relax by the pool after a long day of meetings.

Board members in the meeting. Board members serving food at St. Vincent de Paul. Rock climbing at Skate Galaxy The Citizenship Board at Skate Galaxy. The group being trained on interview skills.