4-H Members Attend Prestigious Conferences
Nova Scotia 4-H members discussed citizenship, diversity and world hunger recently at two prestigious conferences.
Six 4-H members travelled to Ottawa for the 29th annual National 4-H Citizenship Seminar, held April 7-13. Another member was in Washington, D.C., for the 70th annual U.S. National 4-H Conference, April 6-15.
"The calibre of the young people who represented the province at these conferences, and the issues they discussed, makes it clear that 4-H is a valuable youth development program and one that all regions of Nova Scotia benefit from," said Ernest Fage, Minister of Agriculture and Marketing. "The overwhelming number of letters I received in the past few months is an indicator of how important this program is to Nova Scotians and I thank all those who wrote to tell me about the positive impact the program has had on their lives."
In its recent budget, the government made no cuts to the provincial 4-H program. Provincial 4-H specialists will be located throughout the province to ensure the successful youth- development program is offered to all young Nova Scotians.
The theme of the National 4-H Citizenship Seminar was One Nation, One Heart, One Future. It focused on the opportunities available to Canadian citizens, the diverse cultural makeup of the population and issues that will affect citizens beyond 2000. Among the conference highlights were a tour of the Parliament buildings and the Supreme Court of Canada, watching question period, participating in a mock House of Commons debate and attending a parliamentary luncheon with Nova Scotia members of Parliament.
The following six 4-H members attended the conference: Sherri Young, Hants County; Christy Bowron, Pictou County; Amy Francis, Cape Breton County; Mila MacLean, Pictou County; Mary Saltzman, Kings County; and Amanda Acker, Queens County.
Joel Rafuse of Lunenburg County was one of ten 4-H members chosen to represent the Canadian 4-H program at the conference in Washington, D.C. This year's theme was Building a Global Community Piece By Piece. Three hundred and twenty delegates from across the United States, Canada and abroad made recommendations on how to improve the direction of the overall 4-H program and how to make 4-H better for future generations.
Delegates participated in consulting group sessions to discuss issues facing youth and the 4-H program such as world hunger, community violence, diversity, environmentalism and volunteerism. Conference participants toured historical and political points of interest around Washington including Capitol Hill and the Canadian Embassy.
As part of both conferences, Canadian delegates attended a citizenship court ceremony in Ottawa where they affirmed their citizenship alongside of individuals being sworn-in as new Canadians. Canadian participants stopped in Ottawa en route to Washington to participate.