News

4-H taking students “Beyond Ready”

The vice president of the Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team says the organization is pushing students to be “Beyond Ready” for the future.

Alex Paul says the new national initiative showcases the organization’s impact on a member’s development.

“Whether it’s college or a career, they’re becoming citizens.”  He says, “They’re going to do community service and leadership. They are our future politicians, and ultimately, the youth of 4-H are more prepared than anyone else to step into those roles because of what 4-H offers.”

He tells Brownfield that 4-H students are exposed to a wide array of personal development opportunities.

“From the public speaking of showing at the State Fair, to the confidence, and that feeling of community that it brings, Beyond Ready is here to just show the world how much 4-H means to these kids and how valuable it can be,” he says.

Paul says his four years of 4-H experience have been life-changing.

“4-H has shown me, starting from the very beginning, how to lead, but also how to follow and how to learn.”  He says, “It’s brought me to the University of Illinois, where I’ll be starting next fall studying accountancy, and that’s not somewhere I ever would have seen myself until I joined 4-H, until I started learning all of these things that are going to drive my future to a really successful place.”

Paul says 4-H’s multi-year “Beyond Ready” campaign kicked off at state fairs across the Midwest this summer.

Brownfield spoke with Paul at the 2025 Illinois State Fair.

AUDIO: Alex Paul – Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team