High school 4-H members went to Olympia Feb 17-19 for the annual Know Your Government conference.

The conference, which has been taking place in Olympia since 1985, was a total of three days, said Dorothy Elsner, WSU Skagit County 4-H Program Coordinator.

The conference has a four-year rotation of topics that are taught, where 4-H members learn about the election process, judicial system, legislation process and finally, media and politics, Elsner said.

The curriculum taught this year was the election process. Students were divided into groups and participated in a mock election, said conference facilitator Kai Beard. Each county sends a total of 11 delegates to attend.

Before the conference, students are required to attend meetings to prepare for the conference. These meetings give context to what curriculum will be involved in the conference, Elsner said.

The student training for the conference begins around November and continues until January, Elsner said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2021, the conference was virtually held, which was a struggle, Beard said. In 2022 and 2023 the participation went significantly down.

“However, this year we saw much more attendance and we are slowly getting back to the levels we were at in 2019,” Beard said. 

Students began the day with icebreakers and getting to know their teammates. General information about the election process and how the event would go was also discussed in preparation, Beard said.

Over the course of the weekend, students prepared for speeches and debates that would be demonstrated later in the weekend, Beard said. Teams debated against each other and gave campaign speeches. Members appointed a representative to debate against other groups. 

Finally, the students at the conference participated in a mock election, Beard said. This is meant to teach students about the election process and how to make voting decisions.  

Next year, students will participate in a mock trial to better understand the judicial system, Beard said. For the legislation year, participants from each county will present a bill that will go through a staged House and Senate voting process.

The following year will include a focus on media and politics and the dynamic between the two Beard said.

Another great benefit that comes from this conference is the networking opportunities, Beard said Students are able to connect with many other like-minded members across the state and often stay in touch for years later.

“This is a great opportunity for students to learn civic education that is hands-on, rather than in a classroom which isn’t as interactive,” Beard said.