For the entirety of my youth I have heard the words, “head-heart-hands-health,” the slogan of 4-H. 4-H is a national nonprofit organization based in agriculture. The program focuses on youth involvement in the community and youth advocacy. I attended the state 4-H sponsored April 17 Citizenship Day. The trip was organized as an opportunity for 4-H youth to be more involved by meeting their legislators. The trip was full of opportunity- I toured the entirety of the Capitol, sat in on the general assembly proceedings, and introduced myself to state legislators.
Arriving at Capitol Ave around 8 a.m., I began the day at Holy Trinity Church, directly across from the Capitol. Here I had the opportunity to meet fellow 4-H members representing their counties. After doing ice breakers and acquiring 4-H polo shirts, we headed over to the Capitol. The building is large and built in Gothic style, reminiscent of Renaissance revival architecture. Upon entry, the building is symmetrical, with color tones of muted yellow, burgundy, and blue. The tall ceilings and banister outlook onto the main entrance, giving the building a cathedral-like feel. We then followed the tour guide through numerous hallways that displayed portraits and memorials. We went through the Rotunda and saw the Genius of Connecticut statue, which features an 18- foot tall woman made of bronze. We entered the General Assembly Building where we observed a fascinating session. Following this, we met in a conference room to watch a financial literacy presentation. The day ended in an ice cream social where I was able to meet and introduce myself to state legislators and representatives. I talked with them individually which was a very unique opportunity- all of the legislators were incredibly kind.
The day was an incredible opportunity that helped further my public speaking abilities. The biggest take away from this experience was how receptive our representatives are to community feelings. Their emails and phone numbers are public information, by sending them an email or giving them a phone call you could be contributing to immense changes. I was able to do this through my involvement in New London County 4-H. Overall, there were 33 youth representatives total, five from our county.
