Sophomore Lee Donahue was selected to serve on the Northwest District 2023-2024 Georgia 4-H Board of Directors.
Donahue will serve as a senior board member. Youth are elected to these positions by their peers and receive extensive leadership training as representatives of the organization.
Each of the four Georgia districts elect nine officers for both a junior and a senior board of directors. Junior 4-H’ers are elected during their seventh-grade year and serve during their eighth-grade year. Senior 4-H’ers are elected in ninth, tenth, or eleventh grades and serve the following school year.
Officers campaign for their positions during District Project Achievement weekends held each spring at Rock Eagle 4-H Center. It involves developing a campaign slogan and supporting materials and culminates with a speech and networking. Delegates select their choices and announcements are made at the conclusion of the weekend.
Positive youth development informs the leadership training that elected officers receive during their year of service. Trained 4-H faculty and staff provide immersive character and team-building exercises. Professionalism and etiquette are integral parts of training as 4-H’ers prepare for interactions with public figures, elected officials, and their peers.
A major part of their service includes planning District Project Achievement. Officers are responsible for choosing a theme for the event, preparing fun and educational activities, writing and performing a skit, and presiding over assemblies throughout the weekend. The competitions, at Rock Eagle, are qualifiers for state competition at Georgia 4-H State Congress.
A second-year day student at Darlington, Donahue is involved in cross country. He is the son of Mary and Lee Donahue of Rome.
4-H is the nation’s largest youth leadership development organization, empowering nearly 6 million young people across the U.S. with the skills to lead for a lifetime. Georgia has one of the largest state programs in the country with more than 240,000 active 4-H members across the state.
Portions of this story were published in the Rome News-Tribune on April 24, 2024
