Arrive a Teen and Leave a Leader!
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Front Row: (holding the banner) Diondra Dyer, Shayla Cole, and Katrina Martin. Back Row: Connie Gerow, Karlee Square, Mikayla Foster, Josh Godbout, John White, Austin Gokey, Ashley Warner, Diane Tremblay and Pat Banker.
By Connie Gerow, 4-H Tribal Mentoring Coordinator
How does a teen arrive at an event and leave a leader? Do you wave a magic wand and say 'abracadabra'? Or, were they part of a "Star Trek" adventure where "Scotty" beamed them up?
The answer - a group of nine Franklin County 4-H Members, who travelled to Syracuse on April 11th -13th were a part of a S.T.A.R.R. trek adventure. S.T.A.R.R. is an acronym for State Teen Action Representative Retreat, which is a three-day, fun-filled event where 4-H teens participate in a variety of workshops and activities meant to challenge, excite and further develop life skills. The event is planned by teens and adults who serve on the State planning committee.
Upon arriving, the teens are provided with their name tags, group identification and selected workshop assignments. After arranging their bedding in the dormitory of the Youth Building on the NYS Fairgrounds, the participants meet in their roundtable groups. It is here where numerous ice breaker games are utilized to assist the teens with getting to know and trust each other. Creating a team name and banner is a task that each group does not take lightly. This task encourages one of the key essential elements of 4-H, "belonging".
During the Saturday program, a record number of 280 teens and adults participated in interactive long and short workshops. The long workshops were held in the morning and afternoon and were designed to provide the teens with an opportunity to learn about an intense idea that would produce a product and/or a result. Examples of the long workshops were as follows: Hammer and Nails, Robots on the Move, Entomology for Young and Old, You Can Eat That, A Journey through a Horse's Mouth, Lighten Up with Wearable Technology, and Solar Kitchen. In addition the teens selected short workshops which engaged the teens with creative activities: Mastering Monet, Fantastic Flowers, Cake Decorating 101, Yoga Fun and Fishing.
Saturday evening concluded with a semi-formal dinner, keynote speaker and dance that were held at the Driver's Village banquet facility in Cicero. This year's keynote speaker was Mr. Arel Moodie whose message to the 4-H teen was that "anything is possible". A high energy motivator, Arel grew up in the welfare projects in Brooklyn, NY where he witnessed those around him being murdered and imprisoned. Arel shared that "college was his way out to improve his life."
The Franklin County 4-H Members who attended were Shayla Cole, Diondra Dyer, Mikayla Foster, Joshua Godbout, Austin Gokey, Katrina Martin, Karlee Square, Ashley Warner and John White. S.T.A.R.R is open to all NYS 4-H Teens. Chaperones for this event were Pat Banker, Connie Gerow and Diane Tremblay.
For more information about 4-H and Cornell Cooperative Extension programs, one may call the office number at 518-483-7403.
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