Two St. James Parish 4-H teens recently attended the Southern Region Leadership Conference in Crossville, Tennessee. The conference is held annually for teens in the Southeast Region of the country that hold 4-H leadership positions at the state level. Lutcher High School 4-H Club President, Laynie Arceneaux represented the State 4-H Food and Fitness Board and Emily Swisher- Anderson represented the State 4-H Executive Board.
Laynie and Emily attended leadership training tracks in many of the trending topics relative to teens, including fitness and healthy living, college prep, "Step Up Against Bullying," Aerospace and Science, Engineering and Technology (SET). The information shared is intended to help teen leaders develop programs to educate youth at their local levels. The teens who attended the conference participated in a service project, donating new clothing and toys to children in the foster care system of Tennessee. The jam-packed conference agenda also included a trip to nearby High Falls State Park.
The Louisiana 4-H Food and Fitness Board provides a wealth of healthy eating and fitness ideas on their Facebook page. Laynie Arceneaux and fellow Louisiana Food and Fitness Board member, Gabie Davis from Terrebonne Parish, both helped their parishes win a Healthy Lifestyles Mini-Grant. Laynie and Gabie used the funds to set up educational stations at the St. James Parish 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Fun Run-Walk to promote exercise and healthy eating habits.
Emily Swisher-Anderson and the members of the Louisiana 4-H Executive Board are part of the decision making team that plans state-wide events, including the Junior Leader Conference. Attending the Southern Regional Leadership Conference is one way these 4-H teens get ideas and information to their own conference programs.
