Georgia 4-H and the school systems of Georgia have been  partners in education for over 106 years. The ongoing partnership moved to a new level , on March 9^th, 2010,  when Georgia 4-H and the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals (GAESP), an affiliate of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders,  piloted a leadership conference for elementary school students. The new effort entitled “Step Up and Lead”, brought 285 elementary school students, teachers and administrators from 17 schools and 11 school systems to Rock Eagle 4-H Center. The goal of the conference was to cultivate skills that will prepare participants for leadership roles within the context of their schools, as well as their communities.

While there, conference participants participated in two motivational sessions and attended a series of workshops focusing on Team Building and Cooperation, Building Communication Skills and Planning and Organizing. These break-out sessions were lead by Rock Eagle 4-H Center Environmental Education staff and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H Agents. The conference planning team consisting of Mr. Hal Beaver, Executive Director of GAESP, Mrs. Cynthia Flesher, President of GAESP, Mr. Arch Smith, Interim State 4-H Leader, Mrs. Judy Ashley, Extension School Relations Coordinator, Mrs. Mandy Marable, Extension 4-H Specialist, Mrs. Jenny Jordan, Extension 4-H Specialist, and Mr. Matt Hammons, Rock Eagle 4-H Environmental Education Coordinator declared this first pilot a true success! 4-H County Extension faculty and staff gathered qualitative data from participants and the State 4-H office is in the process of analyzing results. A preliminary analysis of a representative sample showed the following:

• Students recognized that leaders must be able to work as part of a team.
• Students plan to use the “Hand Technique” for organizing information and presenting orally
• Students recognized the importance of speaking loudly and clearly when giving oral         presentations
• Students plan to use a graphic organizer when planning events and assigning duties.

 Schools participating in the first ever Elementary School Leadership Conference-“Step Up & Lead” were:

School	County
Alexander II	Bibb
Central Elementary	Carrol
Lee Street Elementary	Clayton
Brooks Elementary	Coweta
Moore Street Elementary	Dublin City Schools/Laurens
Baldwin Elementary	Habersham
Centerville Elementary	Houston
Matt Arthur Elementary	Houston
Morningside Elementary	Houston
Northside Elementary	Houston
Eagle Springs Elementary	Houston
Gray Elementary	Jones
Norris Elementary	McDufie
T.G. Scott Elementary	Monroe
Bay Creek Elementary	Walton
Loganville Elementary	Walton
Mattie Wells Elementary	Jones

 Georgia 4-H and GAESP are planning for more conferences targeted toward leadership development for elementary age students to occur in the near future throughout the state.

For more information on this event, pleaes visit www.georgia4h.org/gaesp/ or contact Jeff Buckley at the State 4-H Office, 706-542-4H4H or jbuckley@uga.edu.