There was not any time for Black Friday shopping for a group of Oklahoma 4-H'ers. Instead, this group spent their Thanksgiving break, plus a couple of days, taking part in the 98th National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, Georgia.

Austin Rankin, Woods County 4-H'er from the Waynoka 4-H Club, served as a delegate to this year's National 4-H Congress. This year's theme was "Be True – Be You."

"National 4-H Congress was an incredible trip," said Rankin. "The friendships and partnership formed during this conference will be of great encouragement during the next 4-H year." As the state 4-H reporter, Rankin served as a leader in the Oklahoma delegation. "The Oklahoma delegation had a great time of bonding and growing together," said Austin. "National Congress provided educational opportunities to build-up our leadership skills while learning about the world around us."

Karla Knoepfli, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension assistant specialist in the state 4-H office, said National 4-H Congress provides delegates an opportunity to travel outside of their home state, work alongside club members from other states and engage in leadership, citizenship, global awareness and inclusion activities.

"While in Atlanta, our delegates participated in a variety of educational opportunities, along with cultural experiences and opportunities to develop their leadership skills," Knoepfli said. "The experience allows delegates to learn how 4-H programs vary across the nation."

The 4-H program is known for a lot of things, including giving back to the community. Community service has long been a part of National 4-H Congress and each delegate had an opportunity to help others in various ways and experience what it is really like to be a catalyst for positive change. Some delegates volunteered to do landscaping around Piedmont Park Conservancy and the Atlanta History Center, while others taught a poultry lesson to fifth-grade students in Atlanta public schools. Still others took on assorted tasks such as reading, putting up bulletin boards and helping in the garden at area elementary schools.

Mount Everest climber, global adventurer, entrepreneur, author and humanitarian John Beede served as the keynote speaker at this year's National Congress. Other speakers included New York Times best-selling author Dan Clark; Nia Franklin, Miss America 2019; and motivational speaker Manny Ohonme.

In addition to the numerous educational workshops and community service activities, Oklahoma delegates also had the opportunity to do a little sightseeing while in Atlanta. Tours included Atlanta Zoo, Carter Presidential Library, Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change, College Football Hall of Fame, CNN Center, Centennial Olympic Park, Turner Field, New World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium.

"National 4-H Congress is a tradition for Oklahoma 4-H members and many families. The trip provides our youth many new and exciting experiences such as flying for the first time, using multiple forms of public transportation, trying new cuisines and being exposed to a diverse set of cultural experiences. The 4-H life skills being instilled at the club and county levels provide the delegates with the tools necessary to navigate these new experiences," Knoepfli said. "Our delegates returned home with new ideas on how to enhance programming at all levels of our organization and with the motivation to make the best better in Oklahoma 4-H."

Opportunities such as National 4-H Congress are made possible through generous donations to the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation, as well as valuable county donors.