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Engaged Citizens Event 2023
The Engaged Citizens Event is an opportunity for Arizona 4-H teens to engage with local and state leaders. Each county and tribal community has the opportunity to send two delegates to represent them and engage with their local legislators. Whether you're interested in a career in politics someday or in how you can improve your community, this event will help you see where a path in public service could take you.
Youth participants will arrive in Phoenix on the evening of Tuesday, January 24, and check in to the Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport(link is external). Activities that evening will focus on introductions, team building, and teaching 4-H'ers how to tell their 4-H story. On Wednesday morning, participants will engage in workshops designed to teach them about the legislative process and familiarize them with how to bring issues to their representatives in Arizona government. In the afternoon, youth and members of the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation will head to the Capitol and meet with legislators with diverse party affiliations to talk about the impact Arizona 4-H has on their lives.
As a result of this program, youth will:
- Realize that lawmakers are real people who serve the public
- Develop the ability to debate ideas with civility
- Learn that lawmakers, regardless of their perspective, are there to serve
- Understand how to engage with the legislative process in the future, whether as a career or as a citizen
- Realize that most legislative issues are brought by constituents, not by politicians
Event open to youth 14-18. Registrations limited to two youth from each county and tribal nation. Talk with your local 4-H staff if you're interested in participating.
The Engaged Citizens Event is a great opportunity to engage with civic education at a local level prior to attending an event such as National 4-H Congress or Citizenship Washington Focus.