Name: Brenda Allen
Current Position: Extension Program Specialist/4-H Youth Development
Hometown: Montezuma, Iowa
Education: Undergraduate degree in Social Studies Secondary Education. Master’s degree in School Counseling from Iowa State University.
Past Work Experiences: Iowa 4-H Center, National 4-H Center, Teacher for 2 years in Albia, Iowa.
Hobbies: Volleyball, biking and Ragbrai, reading, church, going to basketball games.
Ultimate Goal in 4-H: To help make stronger young people and stronger communities!
Brenda Allen has been working with 4-H for 11 years now but has been involved in 4-H her entire life! She says that 4-H had an impact on her development and leadership skills and she is so thankful she got such significant experiences growing up. She even went to Norway with the International 4-H Youth Exchange for 6 months! She lived with five different families and got to experience a different culture and a different way of living.
Brenda works with the 4-H Council which is a group of 40 high school students that are chosen to be a part of this leadership group. They have four retreats and they work together to plan the State Conference that is held in the summer. Brenda oversees planning and helps with decision making and preparation. The Conference in the summer lasts three days and usually consists of motivational speakers, educational workshops, community service, dances, and a banquet! There are usually around 1,000 high school students that come and it is a great opportunity to build leadership skills and character in general. Brenda really enjoys getting to see young people own what they are doing and empower themselves and other young people to be great!
What does 4-H mean to Brenda? It means developing the potential of youth and giving them opportunities to show how fantastic they are!
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