Texas 4-H Youth Development Program announced that Texas 4-H Congress was held in Austin at the State Capitol on July 14-17, 2024. Texas 4-H Congress was a four-day mock legislative experience for 4-H members in grades 9th to 12th where participants assumed the roles of legislators, lobbyists, and press corps to gain a firsthand understanding of how the legislative process worked. Each participant wrote and submitted their own bill to be taken through the legislative process that week. Bills written and sponsored by 4-H members focused on issues concerning Texas and Texas youth.
Texas 4-H Congress was held every two years for senior-level 4-H members who were selected through their districts to attend the event. The four-day event began on Sunday with delegate meetings at the Sheraton Austin Hotel. The event moved into the Capitol on Monday and Tuesday for sessions.
“Texas 4-H Congress was the event where 4-H members learned about the governmental processes by writing and debating bills. Of course, the goal was to have your specific bill reach the office of the 4-H Governor so that it could become ‘law.’ This mock legislative event was a great way for experiential learning to happen at its finest,” said Texas 4-H Youth Development Program Director Montza Williams. “Tackling issues that are important to the membership and having the opportunity to discuss those issues with people who may or may not agree with you is a skill that every person needs to learn. These youth are our future, and we will be better off as they learn more about how government works.”
Youth from Denton County 4-H had participated in the 2024 Texas 4-H Congress. The youth who attended was Blakely Bland who had served as a state representative and on the Education Committee.
Around 300 youth and chaperones from the Texas 4-H program attended the event.