ALAMEDA - Recently the Alameda 4-H Beef Club held its annual speaking competition at the Alameda United Church.
Alameda 4-H has 41 active members ages six to 21, with several team leaders. These youngsters attend regular monthly meetings and reside in the Carlyle, Alameda, Lampman and Oxbow areas.
It is an organization that is much more than just showing cattle. 4-H stands for head, heart, hands, and health and its emblem is a green four-leaf clover. Its motto is “To make the best better” and its slogan is “Learn to do by doing.” The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experimental learning programs and a positive youth development approach.
Every year, local members are asked to compose a speech of between two and eight minutes in length, depending on age. In front of family and friends, they are judged on content, correct pronunciation, clear enunciation, and eye contact. Participants are also evaluated by way of introduction, delivery, conclusion and their overall confidence and impression.
The 4-H speakers thrilled the audience with several outstanding addresses and a wide variety of subject matter. Some of the topics included service dogs, martial arts, being the youngest child, being the middle child, sheep, soil, pesticides, fishing, snowmobiling, and growing up wanting to become a paramedic or a veterinarian. Also included was a heartwarming speech pertaining to anxiety depression and utilizing horse assisted therapy and learning to regain their personal self-esteem.
Jason Frey is the Alameda 4-H general leader, and the master of ceremonies for the presentations on this day was project leader Brad Christensen. There were four age groups and the winners were as follows:
Cloverbuds: Bowyn Freitag in first place, second Brooklyn East and third Laya Freitag.
Juniors: First Cozi Perrot, second Brynn Chapman, and third Leighton Freitag.
Intermediates: First Laura Christensen, second Tallyn Kitz and third Katelyn Rutten.
Seniors: First Madeline Christensen, second Kylan Pierce and third Dylan Frey.
The 4-H pledge is “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country and my world.”
