WSU, 4-H team up for annual conference

Pullman Fire Department member helps a girl suit up for the Combat Challenge, a test of physical fitness, during the 2012 4-H Conference. Photo by Richard Miller, WSU Global Campus.

 

 

PULLMAN, Wash. – Teenagers can learn to start a business, understand financial planning, and move like ninjas.

There are 61 educational workshops on the menu for 2013 4-H Teen Conference at Washington State University Pullman from June 23-25.

Teens build a motorized car during the 2012 4-H Teen Conference.

“The purpose is to give teens direction for their future,” said Jan Klein, 4-H adolescent leadership specialist. “Everything that is planned — speakers, workshops, and activities — focuses on exploring educational options, career possibilities, and life skills necessary for success.”

Along with the many workshops, about 400 young people will also be exposed to the campus, culture and expertise of WSU, which has extensive connections to the conference:

•    Most of the last 85 annual events have been held at WSU Pullman.
•    The 4-H youth development program is part of the WSU Extension.
•    WSU’s Conference Management team handles the logistics.
•    The vast majority of workshops are led by WSU staff and faculty.

Even the ninja instructor is a WSU staff member. Gerald Steffen is the creative manager at the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Science.

 “Learning a few self-defense techniques boosts their confidence, which is important for developing self-esteem,” he said. “But the coolest part is that they get to brag about their new ‘ninja moves’ to friends.”

Teens will also learn a few cyber moves. A new workshop, “The Cyborg Classroom: Resistance is Futile,” introduces young people to the online tools used in many on-campus courses.

 “Attending college means not only being in a classroom, but also knowing how to use new technologies,” said workshop instructor Charmaine Wellington, who designs online courses for WSU’s Global Campus.  “These skills are increasingly integral to a successful learning experience.”

Wellington will offer an inside view of WSU’s learning management system, and have teenagers log in to a virtual classroom and chat with one another on a discussion board.
After every workshop, teens are asked to fill out an evaluation.

Steffen said they often respond with only a single word — linguistically dubious, but generally applicable to how 4-H and WSU are working together to create future generations of leaders: “Awesomeness.”

Contact:
Jan Klein, 509-358-7937, jlklein@wsu.edu