Rock County’s Thea Richards selected as Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador

Thea Richards and 27 other outstanding Minnesota 4-H youth have been selected as Minnesota 4-H State Ambassadors for 2015-16. Elected through a meticulous selection process by 4-H adults and youth, this year’s group of state ambassadors will serve as spokespeople for the youth development organization, representing more than 65,000 of their 4-H peers throughout Minnesota.
The Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador Program began in 1968, and over 1,000 youth have participated since its founding.
Throughout the year state ambassador responsibilities include:
•Educating youth and adults about the importance of youth development, leadership, citizenship, service, teamwork, and other invaluable life skills.
•Teaching and facilitating hands-on workshops and trainings at the local, county, regional, and state levels. 
•Appearing at various events, including the Minnesota State Fair, where they serve as goodwill volunteers, greeting thousands of visitors to the 4-H Building and helping 4-H youth throughout their stay as fair exhibitors. 
•Planning and implementing various local, regional, and statewide 4-H leadership events such as the annual 4-H Building Leadership and Understanding and 4-H Youth Exploring Leadership and Learning Out Loud! youth leadership conferences.
The state ambassadors recently participated in a three-day orientation at the University of Minnesota to learn about media/public communications, leadership core skills, program priority areas, and identified some of their personal strengths as a leader. They also participated in a service project with Bridging Minnesota, a nonprofit that provides resources for people in need. The project was sponsored by the Minnesota 4-H Foundation.
Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador Thea is the daughter of Mark and Teri Richards and lives in Steen, She will be a senior at Hills-Beaver Creek High School this year. Thea has been a member of 4-H for 11 years in the Blue Ribbon Club, where her leadership abilities first came to the community’s attention.
To learn more, contact Jacquie Lonning at jlonning@umn.edu or Rock County 4-H Program Coordinator Nancy Sandager at sanda009@umn.edu or go to: www.extension.umn.edu/youth/mn4-H/projects/leadership/ambassadors/.