National 4-H Events
National 4-H Congress
Each year during the Thanksgiving Break in Atlanta, the National 4-H Congress is hosted. This year’s event will be held November 29 – December 3, 2024. If you are a 4-H member between 14 and 19 years old (and have not attended in the past), you can represent NYS 4-H Youth Development at the 2024 National 4-H Congress.
This is a premiere, global-focused event filled with opportunities to make 4-H friends from around the country, explore Atlanta, give back through community service, attend powerful workshops, tours, and to head home to have deep impacts on your community, country, and world.
The NYS 4-H office will assist with registration but does not have any financial assistance to offer for this national experience at this time. If interested, please communicate with your county educator to see if there is county-level funding for you to access.
Please email Jamila Walida Simon at jws62@cornell.edu by 8/30/24 to express interest and see below for necessary forms.
Registration form
Code of conduct
Health form
Emergency contact form
IGNITE by 4-H
Join us from across the U.S. in Washington, D.C. March 12-16, 2025 for Ignite by 4-H! The four-day interactive summit helps teens find their spark through inspiring speakers, hands-on workshops, off-site experiences, career exploration and connecting with peers.
Ignite is a step forward in the journey of becoming beyond ready. At Ignite, teens collaborate, create and cultivate a passion for expanding their minds and their world—becoming resilient and READY for everything life has to offer. The possibilities are endless at Ignite by 4-H.
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If interested, please communicate with your county 4-H educator to see if there is county-level funding for you to access and to register.​
National 4-H Conference
The 2025, National 4-H Conference will be held April 11-16, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA.
National Institute for Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA’s) Division of Youth and 4-H is planning the event, and it is NIFA’s premiere youth voice event. Both youth delegates and our Adult Advisors are welcomed to the nation’s capital for six days of compelling content, unparalleled learning, professional development, and networking. Inspirational keynotes and though-provoking challenge questions, roundtable discussions, briefing sessions, and unique community service opportunities abound. Back again is a dynamic youth career fair with interactive exhibits!
This is an excellent opportunity for any 4-H member ages 15-19 years old looking to connect, collaborate, share their voice and ideas with our federal government. It is also a wonderful professional development experience for CCE educators to serve as Adult Advisors. While we will also consider CCE approved volunteers, sending CCE educators to chaperone is our priority.
Interested NYS 4-H members please submit your application & N4HConf registration form by Friday, January 17, 2025, for consideration in representing NYS 4-H at the 2025 National 4-H Conference. Applicants must be 15-19 years old and not previously have attended National 4-H Conference. The NYS 4-H staff will select between 4-6 youth delegates and/or 1-2 Adult Advisors to represent NYS. A total of six delegates will represent NYS 4-H. Most of the expenses will be covered due to generous support from the NYS 4-H Foundation.
4-H members are expected to apply and share your experiences upon return in the form of a podcast, video, letter to the editor, or formal presentation to a club or county association about your experience of the conference will be generated and shared with the NYS 4-H Civic Engagement Specialist, Jamila Walida Simon.
A special note of thanks to the New York State 4-H Foundation for their full financial support of this event.
Additional Information:
November 21, 2024, 4 pm information session
2024 National 4-H Conference promo video
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2025 Conference Registration Form
Contact Jamila Walida Simon at jws62@cornell.edu with any questions.
National 4-H Conference
Land-grant university 4‑H Departments send delegations of 4‑H youth between ages 15 and 19 to participate in the National 4‑H Conference each April. Delegates work together in the four weeks prior to the conference to prepare briefings on important topics. During the conference, delegates will virtually present their prepared briefings to federal officials in Washington, D.C. 4‑H youth also have the opportunity to engage in personal development experiences that increase their knowledge, resources, and skills while discussing topics affecting youth and 4‑H programming nationwide.
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Contact Jamila Walida Simon for more information at jws62@cornell.edu.
Citizenship Washington Focus
For 7 days, teens from around the nation will gather to have meaningful discussions, hear from prominent speakers, influential leaders, and engaging young people who have created an impact. They will connect with 500 other teens and learn the skills they need to lead their local communities and become change agents to build a brighter future.
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This program is offered two different weeks in June and takes place in Bethesda, Maryland.
True Leaders in Equity Institute
The True Leaders in Equity Institute will prepare delegations  to be change agents within the Cooperative Extension System as we work to create more welcoming and inclusive environments.  This training and leadership opportunity challenges participants to work together to ideate and champion equity-related projects that will grow 4-H in their communities.
4-H believes in youth and adults working together to leverage the strengths that each group brings to their communities and world.​
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2025 date TBD.