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When you hear “CWF” or see youth walking down the streets of D.C. with “CWF” plastered on their shirts or around their necks, maybe you think it means Cats Will Fly or even Chicken Waste Flavor. Really, it stands for Citizenship Washington Focus. CWF is a week-long congregation of hundreds of 4‑H’ers meeting in our nation’s capital to discuss and promote the things that really matter. Citizenship reflects the role we play as citizens. During the week, we work to become involved members of the community by discussing problems our society faces. Washington represents the district where we all come together. Focus represents the devotion and realizing what government means to each of us.

Imagine this, you just found out that you are able to attend this fantastic experience known as Citizenship Washington Focus. However, as the weeks draw closer, feelings run rampant inside your mind. Excitement, nervousness and hope for going on new adventures and diving into somewhere new. Wait, wait, nervousness? What? Who’s nervous? If you silently just said ‘me’ to yourself, this blog post will decrease your harbored fears. Nervousness is a feeling that should be the least of your worries so you can just focus on the fun.

One way to help the nervousness is to be prepared. No, this doesn’t just include being packed with all your clothing and belongings, but being prepared also means preparing yourself for the experience you will have at CWF.
  1. Ok, so we do have one suggestion about packing clothes and belongings. We know everyone packs all their nice clothes that are probably not the most comfortable. Looking good is important for making that first impression, but by the time the day is over and you get back to the room, you’ll have wished you packed those over-worn sweatpants and baggy pajama shirts.
  2. Be prepared (or thankful) that you will have a full week of not having to explain to others what 4‑H is, what you do, or how much it means to you (at least to many of your fellow delegates). You will have amazing opportunities to explain 4‑H and leave a lasting impression on congressmen and women of the government.
  3. CAPTURE THE MEMORIES! It’s easy for time to fly while you are here, but not everyone you talk to is here with you. When you’re back home you’ll want to visually show everyone what fun you had (and perhaps make them jealous). So, save room on your phones for pictures, safety pack those cameras, and get those charger packs to last the whole day. A helpful tip is to take AS MANY pictures as you can. It’s better to get a few blurry ones in there than to not have any photos of one of the beautiful places you were able to visit.
  4. Worried about the condition of the rooms that you will be in at the National 4‑H Conference Center? Have no fear! The rooms are super nice! They have two bunk beds with sheets, blankets, a closet, TV, full bathrooms and nice pillows.
  5. Take care of yourself! Remember to take your medication no matter how much fun you’re having. Drink water, lots and lots of water! Bring that sunscreen, because the sun in D.C. is nice and hot in the summer.
  6. Prepare yourself to meet a panoply of 4‑H’ers. There’s going to be youth from all over the nation. Instead of laughing at the differences, take advantage of all of the new things you can learn. Everyone back home will think you are a travel guru when you can list off facts about other states that you could have only learned from the locals. For example, Wisconsin’s production of cheese and cheese curds is no joke. Also, New Jersey’s favorite breakfast meat is pork roll (at least according to the delegates at CWF from New Jersey). Did you know that bubblers are water fountains and some Americans call soda ‘pop’?

Take note of these helpful hints and reach out to others if you are still nervous. Your parents, chaperones, 4‑H Leaders, and other youth can help you have the best week ever at CWF. It’s a one-of-a-kind coming of age experience. You’ll come out a more knowledgeable citizen of your club, your community, your country, and your world. After all, 4‑H does make the best better.

Fortunately, we live in a country that allows the general public to be actively involved in multiple levels of government. Unfortunately, there can be a lack of interest and frankly knowledge about candidates and issues, especially among young people. These young people are the future of our nation and it is our responsibility to educate and invigorate their desire for active citizenship. This idea of becoming civically engaged is especially important since we are electing a president this year. Citizenship Washington Focus is not only a program that has helped many youth learn about national issues and government processes, it’s a program that teaches youth how the government works by allowing them to learn by doing.

Delegates at Citizenship Washington Focus assume the role of representatives participating in the legislative process. Issues currently relevant to the country are thrown at them to discuss, this year the issues included hydraulic fracturing, campaign financing, cell phone data encryption, and GMO labeling. The delegates are divided into groups where they meet new people and discuss the issues, formulating arguments for or against one of the topics. Within these small groups, delegates who have less knowledge on the topics are able to learn more through delegates that are directly affected by the issue. Oftentimes the delegates have to challenge their own thoughts about an issue and create an argument for the opposition. This allows them to learn valuable skills about debating, but also opens their minds to ideas and situations that are new and thought provoking; allowing for deeper understanding of how and why issues are so complex. These ideas and arguments are presented like they are on Capitol Hill, in the form of bills.

Many are familiar with the classic Schoolhouse Rock song, “I’m Just a Bill,” which educates youth about the life of a bill; however, by actually sitting down, writing bills, and watching as the bills travel through a mock House of Representatives, delegates are able to participate in the process. As part of the process, the bills are brought before all of the delegates at a Mock Congressional Session, which is planned and run by delegates attending Citizenship Washington Focus. Everyone is given a chance to ask questions, debate, and vote on the proposed bills. Many delegates admit to initial disinterest in the bill writing workshops, but by the end of Congressional Session admit to genuinely enjoying the discussion of complex issues and learning to compromise.

While participating in their own mock legislative process, delegates at Citizenship Washington Focus are also able to see the actual legislative process in action and meet their own representatives on Capitol Hill. During these experiences, delegates have conversations with their representatives, explaining how they are becoming civically engaged at the 4‑H Center and discovering more about the jobs of our Congressmen and Congresswomen. Delegates also have the opportunity to question their representatives about problems in their states and what actions are being taken at a national level to combat the problems. During this past year’s session of Citizenship Washington Focus, a GMO labeling bill was working its way through the Senate and House. This allowed delegates to become educated about how industry and agriculture would be affected by this developing bill, which could personally affect the 4‑H’ers that had agricultural backgrounds.  As the delegates watched the action unfold on the floors of the House and Senate, they witnessed compelling arguments as well as unexpected protests and drama.

Overall, delegates seem to enjoy the experiences that Citizenship Washington Focus has offered for the past 58 years. From learning about the origins of law and order to discussing bills on their own “House floor”, I have personally seen unsurmountable growth within delegates, not only in their passion for civic engagement but also their speaking and leadership abilities. I saw this growth within a one-week period, I can only imagine what these civically engaged youth will continue to do. Citizenship Washington Focus is yet another example of how 4‑H grows true leaders. 

Mark Miller

CWF PA 2016

Wanted: Adventurers

Adventure: an exciting or dangerous experience

Walk up to any Citizenship Washington Focus (CWF) Delegate and they will tell you that CWF was one of the greatest adventures of their 4‑H careers. Even though this trip doesn’t completely fit in with the definition, we still think that speeding around the Washington, D.C. wonders at breakneck speed from sun up to sun down counts as an adventure.

Why do we feel this way?

Because we have learned so much in such a short period of time, and enjoyed all of it (or most of it at least)!

We have learned how to properly use a crosswalk (especially those of us who are from more rural areas).

 

We have learned how to live without sleep.We have learned just how many “squeezes” (slushies) we can eat in a day.We have learned how not to make security guards mad.

We have learned how to walk down the slippery stairs of the monuments without falling.

Funny? Yes.

Even though we might all look like we are goofing off, we are learning.

As we stood in the Lincoln, Jefferson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorials, we learned how each of these men affected the world that they lived in, and how they continue to affect us today. As we read the inscriptions on the walls, the words hit us and they gave us hope.

As we viewed the beautifully crafted World War II, Korean War, Vietnam Veterans, and Iwo Jima memorials, we caught a glimpse into the passions and feelings that surrounded these eras.

As we listened to the cannons go off at Twilight Tattoo and watched the soldiers flip and spin their guns with an ease that looked as natural as breathing, we as delegates were filled with pride in our Army.

As we stood amongst the resting place of the over 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families in Arlington National Cemetery, we saw the ideas of sacrifice and courage in a new light.

As we talked to our senators and representatives we learned what it means to be a true and active citizen and we gained a new respect for the work that they do.

As we discussed different congressional issues, wrote bills and learned how the government works, our Program Assistants (PAs) impressed upon us the importance of being respectful and open-minded.

Needless to say, learning has been a big factor in the adventures we have had during this past week.

I think that the Communications Committee speaks for everyone when we say thank you to those who have made this trip possible.

First, to the chaperones. We know that you have probably gotten even less sleep than we have, but we appreciate how you are always kind and excited. Even though we might not always like your rules, we know that you only want us to be safe, and we appreciate that.

To our bus drivers, thank you! At the end of the day, when we are exhausted from trekking across the city, you are some of our favorite people to see. Thanks for taking care of us!

And finally, to our Program Assistants. We love you bunches! Thanks for sticking with us, even when we are delirious with laughter and lack of sleep. We appreciate that you love learning about the city and have passion for passing that knowledge on to us. Thank you for all that you do.

Each and every person has made this the greatest adventure of our 4‑H career! We have learned so much, we will never forget it. We have become smarter, aware, and gained a passion for being involved. We know that the adventure doesn’t stop at the end of this week. It is up to us to keep that adventure alive, and we know that CWF has given us the tools to do that.

If this sounds like an adventure you would like to partake in, contact your local extension personal, and help us keep the adventure alive.

May 16th, 2016. The day 10 young adults from around the country came together to facilitate Citizenship Washington Focus. Coming in, we knew we would be learning about the city from our mentors and from each other, but one thing we were not prepared for was how much we would learn from our delegates. Here are the top 5 things I learned from my delegates throughout the summer:

  1. You can sleep later. Nothing beats making memories with your friends. You won’t regret losing an hour of sleep because you were laughing, playing cards or making new friends. Sometimes I found myself longing for sleep while my delegates stayed up until the early morning with their new friends. By the end of the week, delegates left with new forever friends and so many memories to bind them together. This inspired me to make the most of every moment with my delegates and fellow program assistants.
  2. Timeliness, although important, is not everything. Now, I’m not going to use this as an excuse to be late to work or something important like a job interview, but in the scope of being in Washington, D.C. it’s okay to take a few extra minutes to take the sights in. It’s alright if I stay out a little later than planned to explore. Some experiences are once in a lifetime. Washington, D.C. was that for many of my delegates.
  3. We all have different opinions. This may seem obvious to many people, but it’s definitely put into perspective at a program like CWF. I had delegates from all regions of this country; from Florida to Montana to Texas. It was one of the most interesting things to see how thoughts varied by region and by person. It truly expanded my horizons and opened my mind to new thoughts and ideas I didn’t think I would have.
  4. When in doubt, laugh it out. Things almost never go perfectly as planned. Being flexible when situations arise and laughing it out when appropriate is something my delegates had to do every week. The moment I realized I just needed to laugh it out was Monday of week four at Mount Vernon. It was a lovely morning on the grounds, and on the way back to the 4‑H Center I discovered my pants had been split all morning. Lovely, right? At that point, what else could I do but laugh it out? I told my delegates the story later and they laughed too. Whether it was rain changing our plans around or switching the schedule up when things didn’t go according to the plan, my delegates taught me to roll with the punches and laugh it off as appropriate.
  5. Enjoy each moment. As a program assistant, it’s easy to feel complacent with the program because we repeat it many times. CWF is an amazing program and watching its impact on a new set of delegates each and every week taught me to enjoy each moment, no matter how many times I had done it before. The friendships created, the “aha!” moments and the marvel in delegates’ eyes at monuments and memorials. Those are the things that inspired me to enjoy each moment. Each delegation enjoyed it in a different way and I was proud to be along for that ride with them.

To conclude, my sweet delegates taught me this and so much more. It was a summer of growth for both the delegates and myself. These are lessons that will stay with me forever and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to learn them. Thank you, delegates.

Gabriela Valentin

CWF PA 2016