Day two of Congress is where the real competition is. Youth who place first or second at their respective District Activity Days have the opportunity to travel to Raleigh to speak their way into gold, silver, or bronze at the state level presentation day. The event which is held at Athens Drive High School each year brought the best of the best in North Carolina 4-H head to head to see who really is the best. Three of Robeson County's finest went on to compete here. 
Megan Hurst of the Horsin' Around 4-H Club, Alexius Jones and Chi Chi Hill both of the Inspirational Youth Leaders of Rex came prepared to show the world who the best of the best is. Alexus was up first in 
public speaking. In a tough category, with this being her first year, it is awe inspiring that she walked away with the silver medal. Following in her footsteps was Chi Chi Hill. Chi Chi was up against three other competitors in public speaking, the 9-10 year old age division. When it was all said and done Chi Chi's speech on drug abuse also brought home a silver medal. Then in the most extensive category this year, small and companion animals Megan Hurst educated a rather large audience on how to raise an orphan puppy. Up against five other competitors, unfortunately Megan did not win, but she represented our county well and made us all very proud.
Megan Hurst of the Horsin' Around 4-H Club, Alexius Jones and Chi Chi Hill both of the Inspirational Youth Leaders of Rex came prepared to show the world who the best of the best is. Alexus was up first in 
public speaking. In a tough category, with this being her first year, it is awe inspiring that she walked away with the silver medal. Following in her footsteps was Chi Chi Hill. Chi Chi was up against three other competitors in public speaking, the 9-10 year old age division. When it was all said and done Chi Chi's speech on drug abuse also brought home a silver medal. Then in the most extensive category this year, small and companion animals Megan Hurst educated a rather large audience on how to raise an orphan puppy. Up against five other competitors, unfortunately Megan did not win, but she represented our county well and made us all very proud.
The outdoor cookery divisions took place at the L. R. Harrill building at the state fairgrounds. At 8:30 am youth lit their grills, prepared their meat (chicken, pork, turkey, or beef), and cooked up a storm. Robeson County's own Jaylyn McNair, of the Inspirational Youth Leaders 4-H Club in Rex, was a first time county presenter. That did not matter as he won gold at the county and then district competition receiving the opportunity to square off against two other competitors in the Chicken Bar-B-Que category. After a grueling day in the heat, cheered on by family and friends, Jaylyn walked away with the gold medal in his category and age division. This is the first state gold winner for Robeson County in more than a decade.Youth who are not competing in presentations, and not there to observe the presentations, but are attending Congress have the opportunity to take part in workshops. These leadership workshops can not only add to their impressive skills but also help them achieve 4-H Ambassador status. This year the workshops included taking a college tour of N. C. State, Advanced public speaking, Parliamentary procedure and planning for college to name a few.
After all of this fun we headed back to the dorms to get ready for a review of the 4-H Eco-Challenge and find out about "4-H Dig In" held at the Expo Center at the state fairgrounds. The Eco-Challenge was where teams spent two days designing and implementing room designs. The teams had to use items that were recycled, re purposed, and or reused. The advisor for the project was Edward Walker of Trading Spaces fame. Of course each team had a limit on the amount that could be spent and donated. And the rooms turned out fantastic.During the program after dinner we all learned about hunger. Not hunger around the world but right here at home, in North Carolina. The director of the Northwestern North Carolina Second Harvest Food bank was the featured speaker. He talked about the issues facing families, individuals and youth here in North Carolina. He relayed stories of families where the members take turns eating different meals each day, and how dire this situation is. Then it was time for to meet the state officer candidates. Our candidates gave a two minute speech or skit and then spent the rest of the evening meeting and greeting the voters. At the end of the night the Robeson County delegation will issue their 16 electoral votes for the candidates that they feel should lead us over the next year.
After our program it was time for the youth to hit the dance floor. Our youth had a great time, made new friends, and definitely had some laughs (not mentioning any names). then we headed back to the dorms to prepare for another big day that will start by helping others. Stay tuned for more information.
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