Youth Civic Engagement Opportunities

Three upcoming events will provide youth with the opportunity to gain civic duty knowledge through engaging activities. Civic engagement can take many forms whether running for public office, serving on a board, or helping to involve others in local decision-making processes to be informed.

The upcoming events include the programs Indiana 4-H Day at the State House, Running for Public Office here locally and the 4-H Grows Knowledge Clinic at Cloverdale High School. One can pick and choose from any of these events to attend as they are not linked together. To register for any of these programs, contact the Extension office 765-653-8411 by phone.

The first event, Running for Public Office will be on January 11 from 6-8 pm at the York Automotive Building on the Putnam County Fairgrounds. This program is for anyone with aspirations or curiosity about the requirements to run to elected office. County Clerk, Heather Gilbert will provide the legal details of running for office. A panel of past elected officials including Darrel Thomas and Sue Murray along with Gilbert will receive audience questions. The event will wrap up with an ethics consideration presentation.

A second event is Indiana 4-H Day at the State House on February 1. Registration will be due by Tuesday, January 18th. The event is for youth grades 7-12 where youth will serve as pages, meet legislators and other 4-Hers, and be provided tours of the State House. The cost will be $15 and depending on the number of Putnam County youth attending, transportation may also be provided by local Extension staff.

The third event 4-H Grows Knowledge will be February 12 at the Cloverdale High School where there will be several different sessions. This program is designed for both adult and youth 4-H volunteers. There will be at least one of the sessions devoted to civic engagement as program organizers continue to finalize the program.

Visit our homepage at www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or you can contact the local office by calling 765.653.8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. Office hours are Monday thru Friday from 8:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:00pm. Evening and lunch appointments are available, upon request. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs. While many publications are free, some do have a fee. All times listed are Eastern Time. Purdue University is an equal access/equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.

Upcoming Events

December 15 - Winter PARP, Off The Rails Event Center (Roachdale), 9-11 am, no
                         charge, register at: https://tinyurl.com/PutnamPARP2021

December 22 - Extension Office closes at noon for Christmas/New Year’s holiday

December 28 – 4-H Junior Leader Kickoff at 3G Bowl grades 7-12, 6 pm

January 4 – Extension Office reopens following Christmas/New Year’s holiday

January 11 – Running for Public Office, Putnam County Fairgrounds, 6-8 pm

February 1 – Indiana 4-H Day, Indiana Statehouse

February 12 – 4-H Grows Knowledge, Cloverdale High School