Developing 4-H’ers self-confidence and effective public speaking skills are two goals of the Nebraska 4-H public speaking contest. The local contest date has been set for Monday, April 22, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. You must pre-register for the contest by Wednesday, April 3rd by calling the office or sending an email to hayden.hemphill@unl.edu. Top three winners from each age division (except novice) will be selected to advance to the Regional Speech Contest at UNL East Campus in Lincoln in May. The top seniors in the Regional contests will advance to the State Contest held during the State Fair to compete for a $500 U.S. Savings Bond and a college scholarship. Resources to help you prepare for the Public Speaking Contest available at https://4h.unl.edu/public-speaking

We follow the same rules as the regional contest. Ages are as of January 1, 2019.

Age Divisions
Four age divisions are used in the 4-H Public Speaking Contest and are based on the

4-H member's age (the age of the youth before January 1 of the current year).

• Novice Division: 4-H ages eight (8) and (9)
• Junior Division: 4-H ages eight (8) to ten (10)
• Intermediate Division: 4-H ages eleven (11) to thirteen (13)
• Senior Division: 4-H ages fourteen (14) to eighteen (18)

Speech Category Rules

• Length of Speeches:
• Novice Division: May recite a poem, read/tell a story
• Junior Division: 1 to 3 minutes.
• Intermediate Division: 3 to 5 minutes.
• Senior Division: 5 to 8 minutes.

2019 PSA Theme - "Inspire Kids to Do"

• All PSA's are 60 seconds in length and must use the required theme.
• All 4-H PSA's must include the following tagline within the last 10 seconds of the PSA: "Learn more about the Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development Program at 4h.unl.edu." The tagline is included in the 60 second time limit.
  
• Sound effects and public domain music may be used. Copyrighted material may not be used.
  
• All PSA's must be the original work of the presenter. Contestants may not use PSA's written and provided by the state or national staff.
  

• No team PSA's are allowed.

Congratulations to the following members that have been selected to advance to the State competition:

Allison Engelman

Page Nippert

Summer 2019 is approaching fast! No summer is complete without a Nebraska 4-H Camp experience. Summer camps are open to everyone between the ages of 6 and 18. The full color brochure is now on our 4-H page at: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/jefferson/Camp-Brochure-2018.pdf or you can pick one up at our office.

Nebraska State 4-H camps offer camps at these locations: Halsey and Gretna with more than 40 day and overnight camping programs and trips. Whether your child’s interest is in animals, robotics, nature and outdoor skills, tubing and kayaking, or just plain adventure, Nebraska 4-H camps provide the opportunities for all youth and all interests.