Two members of the Reigning Riders 4-H Club, Keltye Blais and Riley Yasieniuk, along with their general leader Darcy Yasieniuk were chosen to represent Saskatchewan along with 12 others at the National 4-H Forum.
The theme for the Toronto National Forum was "Green Lives, Positive Minds." The conference took place over a five-day span, Nov. 5 to 9.
The 14-, 16- and 17-year-old, Saskatchewan delegates chosen were Keltye Blais, Cameron Choquette, Katelyn Smid, Cassidy Sim, Vanessa Friesen, Chelsey Fitzsimmons, Riley Yasieniuk, Karly Rumpel, Kelsey Elmy, Matt Casey, McKenzie Stachura, Dana Balaski, Athena Jacklin and Autumn Lawson. Alongside our crew was Darcy Yasieniuk, our chaperon.
This conference was a fun, eventful and engaging experience from the time we left to the time we got back, even with our unplanned overnight stay in Calgary, Alta.
Our first day, Nov. 5, happened to be National 4-H Day, suggesting that everyone wear green. Arriving at the conference was a laid back and social day, waiting upon other delegates from across Canada to arrive. Once everyone was accounted for, each province was to create a display board, representing their province and what it has to offer.
There were committee meetings held every night, the committees being health and environment, social recreation, flag ceremony, media and news, and sponsors and speakers. The committee meetings were held every night to discuss our duties throughout the conference.
Every committee had specific tasks that were divided among the group members to get each member involved in their committee. The first day concluded with icebreakers and activities.
The following day, Nov. 6, was Environment Day. This day consisted of visiting the Earth Rangers Centre to be informed about sustainable technology to improve the environment. The parking lot had six massive solar panels to contribute the energy required to run the building, along with several other very unique and interesting energy efficient technologies. We were also told this special building is actually rated the fourth most energy efficient buildings on the planet.
After our tour at the Earth Rangers Centre, we continued along our journey to Evergreen Brickworks. This site had a lot of neat history as it was a huge quarry years ago. After the quarry went out of business, the city was left with a huge ugly hole and a bunch of incredible brick buildings. Instead of bulldozing everything in, money was raised to plant the quarry back into its natural plant species and to maintain the unique brick structures.
Now this great facility has child care, health classes, skating, yoga, homemade crafts, metal art, farmers markets, etc., and has proven that it is viable to maintain and improve historical structures, as well as to bring places back to their natural ecosystems.
They provided us with a nutritional lunch along with a fun scavenger hunt which put our new knowledge to the test in a friendly competition.
The last activity to wrap up the day was a self-guided tour through Ripley's Aquarium. The aquarium consisted of a wide variety of a species of fish, an ocean tunnel and was enjoyed by all. We concluded our day with a delicious Mexican supper at the funky Lone Star Restaurant
Nov. 7 was Health Day. The morning involved four speakers, the topics being: "Taking Care of My Belly," nutritional; "Taking Care of my Body," physical activity; "Taking Care of My Spirit," Art Therapy; and "Taking Care of My Mind," mental health.
Continuing on with Health Day, everyone participated in yoga - to relax, relieve stress, and focus on what's important in life.
Following yoga, we played a fun game of Family Feud, testing our knowledge and working with different members from the forum. Our next event of the day was open space technology. The idea of this was for members to discuss in an unstructured way important issues as well their feelings on the topic of the broad idea of healthy living. The members had insightful thoughts and ideas of how to improve the lives and minds of themselves and others.
We then had a short lesson on table etiquette; many of us will now be eating in a proper manner.
The social recreational committee organized a fun round of "Minute to Win it." The idea of this game is to involve everyone with the idea to complete a challenge in 60 seconds.
Saturday, Nov. 8 was Explore Toronto Day. All members were ecstatic to explore the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The Saskatchewan delegates felt at home, having Agribition set in the back of our mind while touring the barns and exhibits.
While at the Winter Fair we had the opportunity to meet and greet some 4-H sponsors and 4-H representatives from across Canada. Talking with these sponsors and representatives was an eye-opener for several members, seeing and understanding the opportunities 4-H can offer and having the chance to personally interact and thank the sponsors.
We then had the choice to go to the CN Tower, the Eaton Centre or the Royal Ontario Museum. The majority of the members chose to go the CN Tower; all other members went to the Eaton Centre due to the museum being closed. Many members overcame their fear of heights while looking through the glass floor on the CN Tower.
After an eventful day, it wound down with a fantastic supper, while practising our table etiquette. Orlando Bowen, a retired NFL player who overcame adversities while maintaining his kindness and love for all, had a strong speech to wind down our conference, his message being "One Voice One Team." Orlando had a way of engaging his audience, and impacted and inspired everyone.
Following the speech was the final dance, a great way to end a busy few days. Of course a few of our own Saskatchewan delegates wowed the crowd with their Ukrainian dancing skills during the Kolomanka.
Sunday, Nov. 9, was farewell day with everyone concluding the conference with personal pledges and goodbyes to all friends made.
For the Saskatchewan crew, our time together was not cut short. At 2 p.m., our connecting flight from Calgary to Saskatoon happened to be cancelled due to weather conditions. The airport was very generous to us, arranging for the Saskatchewan crew for stay overnight while shuttling us around and supplying us with meals. Having this extra night with the Saskatchewan members was a good way to tie up the trip. The unexpected flight cancellation really turned into an incredible extra bonding day that we won't forget.
Next year the National Forum is going to be held in Regina during Agribition. We encourage all 4-H members age 16 and up to apply. It is a great experience; the things you learn and the people you meet are priceless.
