National 4-H Conference is an opportunity for youth to have a voice in the future of Louisiana 4-H and learn how to advocate for community causes they care about. It is the pinnacle experience in 4-H civic engagement, providing 4-H members the opportunity to connect with others and develop ideas to lead change that impacts communities across our nation and our world.

The Louisiana 4-H delegates will travel to Arlington, VA, to participate in the National 4-H Conference. They will learn about social causes that impact Louisiana and how to effectively advocate for the 4-H program and community causes they care about.

4-H members selected are expected to be knowledgeable about 4-H, Louisiana, and are dedicated to implementing new 4-H programming. Furthermore, delegates may be recruited to assist the Louisiana 4-H Executive Board and/or the State 4-H Citizenship Board in planning and developing leadership opportunities.

Program Rules and Requirements:

• Delegates must be either 10th grade or 11th grade in high school when they apply.
• Interested members do not have to serve on a leadership board and do not have to complete a leadership board application in addition to the NCD application. However, if they are interested in serving on a leadership board, they must apply when those applications are released.
• Delegates selected can only serve one (1) time for a one (1) year period.
• Expenses for the four (4) delegates selected to represent Louisiana at the National 4-H Conference will be paid. Exclusions include travel to the airport where the delegation departs from, souvenirs, and some meals on their own. Youth are required to pay the $250 non-refundable trip deposit.
• Selection will be based on overall 4-H work including projects, leadership, civic engagement, and service to the 4-H program, public speaking experiences, as well as originality of ideas about the future of 4-H programming.

Program Timeline:

• October 1 – November 15, 2024: Applications Open. Complete 4-HOnline application – must be review and approved by Agent by November 15th. Check with your agent for any local deadlines.
• December 6: Interview Invitation by email
• December 9-20: Virtual Interviews
• January 2025: Louisiana 4-H National Conference Delegates Announced
• April 11-16, 2025: National 4-H Conference in Arlington, VA

To Apply:

Complete the application on 4-H Online and look for the 2025 National Conference Delegate Application on the Events page. Questions about applications should be directed to Brittany Babineaux, bbabineaux@agcenter.lsu.edu

More information on the National Conference is available at www.4-h.org/4-h-conference/

National 4-H Conference Website

NCD Application Questions

• To help make it easier to complete your application in 4-HOnline, the exact application questions have been listed below.
• Answers must not exceed 500 words per question. Strong submissions include examples and real experiences that relate to the question.
• Tip: Prepare your answers in Microsoft Word or similar program and once you are ready, copy and paste into 4-HOnline!

1. Why are you applying to become a National Conference Delegate for Louisiana 4-H? What are you hoping to learn or gain from the experience?

2. Describe your involvement in 4-H. What are the project areas that you are involved in? How have you been involved?

3. Please list and describe any other significant community involvement and leadership experiences outside of 4-H. (Include community groups, school, Beta, sports, religious, etc.)

4. Participation in National 4-H Conference requires a significant amount of public speaking, leadership, and teamwork. Please describe your relevant public speaking, teamwork, and leadership experiences.

Interview Judging Procedures

Scoring is based on overall communication skills, including personality, intelligence, validated opinions, emotional control, overall first impression, and whether the Candidate possesses the overall qualities and attributes of a prospective National 4-H Conference Delegate.

Candidates will be interviewed separately for 15 minutes total. Each candidate is asked the same interview questions to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to talk about their own experiences and thoughts about this unique opportunity.

Interview Judging Criteria

During the personal interview with the judges, comments should appear to be the original and sincere thoughts of the 4-H member.

The judges will be scoring each candidate using the following criteria:

• Conduct: Did the participant…
  • Appear relaxed and self-confident?
  • Articulate, enunciate, and speak distinctly?
  • Maintain an acceptable speaking pace?
  • Clearly answer questions?
  • Express enthusiasm and self-confidence?
• Appearance/Mannerisms: Did the participant…
  • Appear neat and well-groomed?
  • Act in a businesslike manner?
  • Appear genuine and sincere?
  • Answers questions thoroughly and logically
  • Provides interesting ideas and perspectives
  • Show critical thinking skills, and clear thoughts about the future.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of areas relevant to causes
• The National 4-H Conference website at https://4-h.org/parents/national-4-h-conference/
• Virtual interview tips at https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/virtual-interview-tips
• The original NCD rules and program objectives, included on page 1for your convenience.
• Sample interview questions to help you prepare are included below.
• Content: Did the participant…

Interview Preparation

To help you prepare for the interview, please review the following resources:

Sample Interview Questions

• Tell us a little bit about yourself.
• How active are you in your community?
• What leadership and communication skills do you possess?
• What are you passionate about?
• What contribution would you like to make to society?
• What makes you the best candidate?
• How will you utilize what you learn as a National Conference Delegate in the future?
• How would you describe your 4-H experience?