Community and connection. These two elements, so essential to our well-being, were challenged in ways we’ve never seen during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Not to be deterred from their mission, Virginia Cooperative Extension’s 4H embraced a new national program called 4H Tech Changemakers that connects teenagers and adults within their communities.

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.

.Dr. Chantel Wilson, 4-H STEAM Extension Specialist at VSU, Dr. Erika Bonnett, 4-H Programming Specialist at Virginia Tech, and their Virginia Team won a competitive grant from the National 4-H Council to design the 2020 4-H STEM Challenge Mars Base Camp kit.

Dr. Chantel Wilson lives where science and nature intersect, and she loves introducing youth to her world. Wilson is an Extension specialist and 4-H STEAM educator with the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) at Virginia State University (VSU).