One way of ensuring that youth grow to become curious, confident and capable leaders is by exposing them early to key life skills, educational opportunities and career exploration through 4-H programs like i-Congress.

The annual program conducted at Virginia State University (VSU) is designed to foster leadership skills in middle schoolers, ages 11-13, by exposing them to healthy living, nutrition, civic engagement, leader development and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics) subjects.

“Positive youth development focuses on building skills that youth need to be successful, contributing members of their community and society, and i-Congress gives them that,” said Dr. Maurice D. Smith Jr., assistant professor and 4-H Extension specialist at VSU.

i-Congress, which took place in July, is normally held on campus, but went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An important aspect of the program for youth is being on an Historically Black College and University (HBCU) campus and having opportunities to experience college life, interact with faculty, students, alumni, community leaders and other professionals and learn about career fields, Smith said. Going virtual didn’t slow down i-Congress’ impact on the more than 100 students who participated virtually and engaged in diverse workshops, panel discussions, hands-on activities and a public speaking contest.

“If anything, going virtual opened up more opportunities for what we can do in the future and exposed youth to a greater number of speakers and topics through Zoom.” Smith is already planning for next year’s program, which will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual sessions.

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