The Illinois State 4-H Youth Leadership Team involves 15-22 4-H members and recent 4-H alumni (ages 16-21) who coordinate and assist with various area and statewide 4-H activities.

Team members are involved in planning and implementing the Illinois 4-H Jr. Leadership Conference; assisting behind the scenes with events such as Illini Summer Academies and Illinois State Fair; serving as the training team for the Speaking for Illinois 4-H program; and serving on various statewide 4-H committees and boards (i.e., Illinois 4-H Foundation Board of Directors, Illinois Farm Bureau Youth Education Committee), among other duties.

Lydia Hardy of Bureau County 4-H has been selected for the 2025 Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team. Over the next two years, Hardy will be representing her club (Bureau County Open Door 4-H Club), Bureau County and Illinois 4-H at various 4-H events.

The Youth Leadership Team offers 4-H members and recent 4-H alumni an opportunity to give back to the 4-H program while enhancing their leadership skills. The team actively assists the State 4-H Office in planning, implementing, and evaluating various 4-H events and activities, representing Illinois at the National 4-H Conference, and serving as a youth voice of the Illinois 4-H Youth Development Program.

To learn more about Bureau County 4-H, contact the local Extension program coordinator, Sarah Poignant. Poignant can be contacted by calling 815-875-2878 or at poignant@illinois.edu.