The 4-H Ontario Ambassador program provides youth with advanced level training in leadership, citizenship, communications and public relations. Ambassadors put their energy and 4-H experiences to work recruiting new members and sharing the 4-H story. Throughout 2015, each of 4-H Ontario’s six Ambassadors will submit blog entries about their experiences in the program. The 4-H Ontario Ambassador program is proudly sponsored by GROWMARK, Inc. and UPI Energy LP. For more info on the Ambassador program click here. To book an Ambassador for you event please complete the request form. Submitted by Laura Scott, 4-H Ontario Youth Ambassador from Grenville County 4-H Association My name is Laura Scott and I am proud to say that I am one of the 2015 4-H Ontario Ambassadors. Not only is this an honour to be an Ambassador, it’s an extra special year as we celebrate 100 years of 4-H in Ontario. To start, I should probably introduce myself. I call the Grenville County Association home, and have my entire life. I am 18 years old and I am going in to my second year at the University of Guelph, majoring in Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics. I have completed over 35 clubs, ranging from beef, dairy, field crops, craft and cooking. I have been in 4-H for nine years, and have loved every single minute of it! After reciting the 4-H motto of “Learn to do by Doing” for the last nine years, this year is when I believe that I am seeing that come into effect the most. While I’ve had to learn almost every skill I’ve gained from 4-H by actually doing it and practicing, I am noticing it so much more this year while I learn how my role as an Ambassador works. Our year began with training and the reception, where we were first introduced and met our team for the year. After that, it was a pretty quiet spring for me. I went to an event here and an event there, but nothing steady. Let me tell you, that changed drastically when June rolled around. Even though this isn’t the busiest month we’re going to have as Ambassadors, it’s the first busy month for me. I’ve met so many new people and been so many places that it makes my head spin – in a good way, of course! With the month kicking off with one of our major sponsors, UPI Energy, hosting their charity golf tournament, my month kicked off the learning to do by doing. I’d never been to a golf tournament before this one, and boy, was I ever glad that I had most of the Ambassador team with me as familiar faces that day! While we had a blast at the UPI Tournament, I found the 4-H Ontario Foundation Golf East Tournament even more fun! We had beautiful, warm weather, and I got to talk to so many people that are local to my area and who wanted to ask me about my time in 4-H, as well as my plans for after I’m finished university. Of the three events that I attended in June, Region 2 Discovery Days was by far the biggest learning curve I’ve experienced as an Ambassador. I have younger siblings and I’ve helped young kids in my 4-H clubs whenever needed, but 40 kids in one room for six hours and they’re all between the ages of 9 and 12? The thing I learned the most from that day, was to roll with it. That and that kids come out with some of my favourite things. One member, when he got the wrong answer in a mock Go for the Gold Competition, snapped his fingers and said “Oh, barnacle nuggets!” This made me double over with laughter. So all in all, I am learning so much from adults about my career options, but the kids are teaching me just as much, if not more. So far, my Ambassador experience is off to an amazing start, and I can only hope it keeps going this way for the rest of the year!