What is the 4-H Healthy Living Summit?
At the National Youth Summit on Healthy Living high school students develop the knowledge and skills to address today’s issues including nutrition education, physical fitness, wellness, and emotional well-being. National 4‑H Council and National 4‑H Conference Center have partnered with professionals in family consumer science and healthy living to host the National Youth Summit on Healthy Living. Students are trained to create action plans to implement in their communities and teach other youth about what they have learned.

What is the Agri-Science Summit?
At the National Youth Summit on Agri-Science, high school students develop the skills and knowledge needed for the challenges facing agriculture, food security, and sustainability. National 4‑H Council and National 4‑H Conference Center have partnered with agricultural scientists, researchers, leaders, politicians, and advocates to host the National Youth Summit on Agri-Science. This Summit emphasizes hands-on educational experiences led by experts in the agricultural community.

What are the Maine 4-H Summit Teams?
The Maine 4-H Summit Teams are groups of Maine 4-H'ers in high school that attend either the Agri-Science or Healthy Living Summits. Funding is provided by the Maine 4-H Foundation. Participants are expected to pay $150 towards the cost of the trip. You are encouraged to check with your local leaders associations and 4-H office to see if there are opportunities for them to support your trip cost. You may apply for both trips (please submit a separate application for each) but you may only attend one of the Summits in a given year. The teams will include at least six 4-H youth ages 14-18, and one trained 4-H volunteer or 4-H staff. The trip will include accommodations at the National 4‑H Conference Center, meals, educational programming and tours including a guided night tour of the monuments and memorials in Washington, DC. All-you-can-eat meals are included beginning with dinner on Thursday evening and ending with a box lunch on Sunday.

If selected team members will be required to:
1) Attend a virtual orientation 2-4 weeks before the Summit
2) Attend the February 2022 National 4-H Healthy Living Summit OR the March 2022 National 4-H Agri-Science Summit at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Bethesda, MD.
3) Complete a Maine Action Plan while at the Summits.
4) Blog/report on social media daily (but briefly) for UMaine Extension and 4-H while at the four day training using the correct hashtags.
5) Upon return from the Summits team members will work toward your action plan as a team throughout Spring 2021. This will likely include 3-6 virtual meetings and/or presentations. The opportunity to present at a Summit the following year is also an option.
6) Provide a report for UMaine Extension staff after attending the Summits.
7) Report activities and accomplishments in your Maine 4-H Record Book and Portfolio.
   
To qualify for the youth team you must:
1) Be in grades 9-12 (ages 14-18) in the 2021-22 school year
2) Be an enrolled 4-H member in Maine by December 31, 2021.

How to apply:
1) Complete and submit this application.
2) Have a 4-H leader or adult who knows you well (who is not a relative, ex: not a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin or sibling) submit a brief letter of recommendation to Sara Conant at sara.conant@maine.edu.
 
Applications and a short letter of recommendation are submitted online and are due December 15, 2021. If you need a paper copy of the application please call, Sara Conant at 207-781-6099.

For more information on the Summits please visit: https://4-h.org/parents/national-youth-summits/