Texas 4-H Congress

2012 Summer Series: Blog postings of my summer experiences of 2012.  I had become busy enough to not have time to write about most of my summer until now.  The blogs wont be in full details like other years, and mainly because of my lack of time to write.  Most my time is focused on school.

Texas 4-H Congress--July 15-18, 2012

     I had the opportunity to represent the California 4-H Technology Leadership Team (TLT) with an exchange we do with the Texas 4-H Technology Team again this year.  Unlike last year, the TLT would attend a different event, called Texas 4-H Congress.  This event took place at the Texas State Capitol Building in Austin.  Around 350 Texas 4-H Members would have the chance to run a mock legislative process at the Texas Capitol using the Texas House of Representatives and Senate Floors along with the committee hearing rooms.  Other than the Texas Capitol, the even took place at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol.  For the TLT: Tanner, Joshua, Steven, and myself traveled to Austin for this exchange.

     The first day we all flew into Austin.  I was the last to arrive.  After arriving, we all met with the Texas Tech Team to work up the plans for jobs for the event.  The event started off with an opening ceremony, then the Texas 4-H districts split up into separate sessions where the delegates learned about the Texas legislative process.  During this time, the TLT and Texas Tech spent the time taking photographs and videos of the separate sessions.  I had gotten distracted when a thunderstorm had began right above the city.  Hundreds of lighting bolts brightened up the night sky above the city, followed by a thunder roar that you can feel being absorbed by your body.  At times, it felt as if the hotel has shaken from the lightning.  Along with the lightning came a heavy downpour of rain.  I would look in at the separate sessions, and no one even seemed to care or notice of the storm.  Of course, they are all from Texas.  They are used to this epic storms.  I was not.  I stared out the windows watching the awesome storms, and was so tempted to go outside to watch.  Sadly, because of the rain, I was unable to go outside without getting soaked, so I had to watch it from inside.  Even though I was inside, it was very awesome to experience this weather.

     The next two days would be spent at the Texas Capitol Building during the day, and the hotel during the night.  The Texas 4-H Members would he holding their mock legislative government inside the house of reps and senate floors and hearing committee rooms.  As a tech team member, we were given full access passes, which gave us access to all of the event activities.  They have a press corps, which acts like the real world press.  They have to say in the lobby and up in the viewing galleries.  It felt special to get these full access passes.  For the tech team, our main jobs were to stream live the house of reps, the senate, the joint sessions of congress, and the hearing committee rooms.  Along with live streaming, we would talk photographs of all the action along with video footage.  We all were wearing business suits, and it made you feel a little more powerful compared to the visitors of the building.  All day long, there were tours taking place, and none of the tours were allowed to step on the floors.  It felt a little weird being a Californian, and having full access to the house of reps and senate floors when the normal citizens of Texas had no access.  They did go up to the gallery to watch the 4-H'ers run the mock sessions.  The youth delegates discussed a good amount of topics from texting, illegal immigrants attending public schools and driving to the discussions of the usage of horse meat.  It was real interesting to read about the different issues 4-H members where discussing.  

     This event had a great idea, and I know I would have loved having the chance to use the state assembly and senate if we had this in California, but I do have to say the event lacked in the educational aspects towards learning about our government, and having a 9-5 style sessions got very long fast.  It was a good experience to visit Texas again, and to see their state capitol.  Only thing I did not like was the humidity, and that their capitol building was full to crickets...everywhere.