Youth Find Their Voice at State 4-H Public Speaking Contest

Anna Ahrens, Asher Ahrens, Kasen Ahrens, Adam Koenig, Samuel Koenig, and Lyla Sands from Cape Girardeau County 4-H competed alongside 84 other youth from 34 counties at the State 4-H Public Speaking Contest on September 29, 2018 on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia. Categories were prepared speech, extemporaneous speaking, technology assisted, dramatic interpretation and humorous interpretation. The three age divisions were juniors (ages 8-10), intermediate (ages 11-13) and senior (age 14 and over).

Kasen Ahrens placed 2nd in the junior humorous interpretation category and Samuel Koenig placed 3rd in the senior prepared speech.

�Much depends on the ability to communicate as we prepare youth for the future,� said Lesley Meier, Cape Girardeau County 4-H Youth Development Specialist. �This contest takes those communication skills and develops them on a larger stage.�

Missouri 4-H is a community of youth ages 5-18 from rural farming communities, suburban schoolyards, and urban neighborhoods. 4-H youth are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills, guided by caring adult volunteers statewide. University of Missouri Extension 4-H is the youth development program of the nation�s Cooperative Extension system.