The agent's role is multifaceted. Often the agent serves as the "chaperone" for his/her unit's delegation of teens. Adult volunteers from the unit may also serve in this role alone or in concert with the agent. Chaperone means everything from confidant to rules-enforcer but does not mean that adults are expected to follow their teen delegation around every hour of everyday. You and any other adult volunteers that may be at Congress with you will check with them informally several times a day and meet with them once each evening to review the day and prepare for the next. Besides chaperone responsibilities, Agents and adult volunteers are also given various other duties to make Congress run smoothly. These tasks vary greatly from dorm monitor and game referee to competition, workshop or assembly coordinator.
I have not attended Congress before. What kind of preparation and training do I need? (from an Extension Agent)
Very little Congress specific training is needed on your part before you attend Congress. You are provided with an Agent Congress Information Packet that is found at (http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/4h/events.html) It spells out details for the steps you will need to take to get Congress promoted and delegates registered and also for an orientation that you will need to conduct for your teen delegates. Additionally, we will provide a "îFirst-Timersî Orientation session shortly after you arrive to Congress. We will also assign you an experienced Agent mentor to help you understand what is going on.
Do youth have to be a current member of 4-H to attend 4-H Congress?
It is generally preferred that the delegates that attend are current 4-H members. This makes it easier for the youth to fit into the "culture." It is also safer for you or the adult that is chaperoning that youth, because you have a pretty good idea of what behavior to expect from that youth. Congress can be an incentive to older 4-H members offering expanded experiences beyond their local level. We would suggest a pretty strong commitment to 4-H ideals and goals by the youth selected to participate.
Do 4-H members have to apply to attend 4-H Congress (what are the qualifications)?
Delegates must register for congress through their local unit office. We do not know of Agents that require an application, but your acceptance of their registration could be viewed in a sense as acceptance of the application. Generally agents will accept any 4-H teen who is interested in going. It is the AgentÍs right to screen out those who have been problematic or are on some sort of probation from the 4-H program. Agents often also recruit the top 4-H teens and encourage their participation. It is the AgentÍs responsibility to screen youth to make sure they are aware of their roles at Congress and that they will participate fully in all aspects of Congress
Is the fee the same for adult chaperons as it is for the participants?
The fee is the same for adults as it is for teens - $145. There is one $50 scholarship/per unit for an adult volunteer(provided by the State 4-H Office) and one $70 scholarship/per unit for a youth(provided by the 4-H Foundaton).
What are the requirements to enter the State level 4-H Competition?
The expectation is that teens have qualified to participate in State 4-H Competitions by participating in a unit or district 4-H qualifying event. In other words, youth have participated in a unit or district 4-H qualifying event. This requirement is the same for all State 4-H competitions.
I have a delegate who is going to Congress for only one day to compete. I know that those who win in the Share the Fun categories are chosen to participate in the Share-The-Fun show. Can this delegate still participate even though she cannot be there for the show?
The first and second place act from each STF competition area is invited to be part of the closing night STF show, but they are not required to do so. However, if they wish to be in the closing show they must be involved in practices on Wednesday afternoon, & evening, and most of the day Thursday. There will be an additional charge of $80 to cover the cost of the rest of the week's lodging and meals, etc. if the delegate will be staying on campus. If the delegate wishes to stay with a parent in a motel or travel to and from home for practices, there will be no additional charge.
This year the expected adult to youth ratio has risen to one adult for ten teens. Why the change?
The required adult/youth supervision ratios according to the American Camping Association are:
9-14 years old -1:8
15-18 years old - 1:10
According to State 4-H Congress registration information over the past several years,
approximately 80% of our Congress delegates are between the ages of 15-18. Therefore we are
using the 1:10 ratio. Other adults are not included in the adult count which when counted in,
reduces the ratio below 1:10. These include state 4-H staff, presenters, judges and room chairs,
and university event staff. Management of the youth to adult ratio for riskier activities allows us
greater control as well. Of course, units are welcome to bring more than the required adult/youth
ratio.
I am unable to recruit an adult chaperone from my unit to cover all of my youth. What should I do?
Your best option is to contact neighboring units to see if they have an adult that could serve as the chaperone for your youth. Remember the genders must match and the chaperone cannot exceed the 1:10 ratio.
I just had a volunteer call and tell me she was having trouble registering for Congress online. I thought the online registration process was for county offices to use to register youth and adults who turn forms in to us?
You are exactly right, the on-line registration system is not available to adult volunteers or delegates. The registration system is designed to only allow registrations to be conducted by a VCE staff person in the unit office. The system is only accessible from the 4-H Congress site on the intranet - http://www.ext.vt.edu/vce/4h/events.html
The Delegate and Adult volunteer packet is on the public 4-H web site so you can direct participants to it - http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/05congress/ The packet includes a hard copy of the registration form. The delegates and adults are to fill out the form and bring it by the Extension office for input into the system. This is the same way it was done last year. The process is explained in the Agent Information packet which is found on the intranet site.
We normally collect personal checks from our participants and pay for Congress with one check from our Unit checking account. Can we do that this year?
Yes, you can pay for all participants from your unit with one check. When you mail the check to the Conference Registrar, include in the mailing a copy of the registration information for each participant corresponding to that payment. This information is provided to you at the completion of the on-line registration process.
How do I handle my Congress payment, Health History and Code of Conduct forms?
The Health History Form and Code of Conduct forms are sent to the State 4-H office instead of the Congress RegistrarÍs office. If participants are paying by check or ISR, the Congress payment goes to the Conference registrar. The RegistrarÍs address is in the information packet and on the registration website. Credit card payments do not require anything to be mailed to the Conference registrar.
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