Washington state contingent brings civility to D.C. By Jake McNeal sports editor Telling the truth about agriculture is honest work. Beckett Landon and Elsie Cziske of Ellensburg, Dakota Rivera of Thorp, Mariah Moran of Washougal and Sam Hatrim-Lowe of Vancouver, delegates from “the real Washington,” set out for Citizenship Washington Focus, a week-long citizenship and leadership program for youth ages 14-19, in a June 30-July 9 trip to Washington, D.C. The five, in an experience led by Kittitas County 4-H Council secretary Rachel George, presented an action plan to shine light on the charity of agriculture where some including the People for the Ethical Treatment of animals believe that animals are raised to bring in the biggest profit. “We definitely need a lot more communication between each other in agriculture, because in reality we’re doing the best for the animals,” said Landon, who made his second D.C. venture and belongs to the On Target Shooting Sports Kittitas County 4-H as Cziske and Rivera are in Thorp 4-H, Moran hails from Skamania County 4-H and Hatrim-Lowe represents Clark County 4-H. The friends saw the sights between conference sessions at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Maryland, and they plan to start an education program about 4-H and making good choices. Cziske, an Ellensburg High School senior, and Moran have taken part in Know Your Government, which “empowers youth to be well-informed citizens who are actively engaged in their communities and the world,” and Moran, who just turned 19, wanted to make the tour of D.C. before she aged out of 4-H. “As 4-Hers, we have seen so many different ways that people have disrespected our projects, whether it be livestock or leadership, and we want people to understand where we as 4-H kids come from so that both parties can get another level of understanding and respect for the other,” Rivera said. “We want to promote civility in agriculture, starting with social media platforms that we can use to show people some things we do with our animals and an explanation on why we do it. The second part could be making posters to post on farms asking people to be respectful and to leave the fields and equipment alone.” George, 32, of Ellensburg, who made her sixth D.C. expedition and was a certified tour guide through the 4-H council after graduating from Central Washington University in 2011, is a Thorp 4-H leader in her 24th year as she’s spent the first 10 as a member and the last 14 in charge. She has a master’s in youth development, and her Clark County and Skamania County 4-H work was how she met Moran and Hatrim-Lowe. “It’s really great to see Beckett and Elsie, who don’t have livestock on their property, learn how to become involved in this process of how to be good citizens and how they can make their mark on the world,” George said. The task force came up with lists of words, relevant to the daily itinerary, that began with the letter of the day. “The thing that I liked most about going to D.C. and participating in the conference was purely the amount of things that I learned outside of a classroom,” said Cziske, whose 4-H project is leadership. “At the conference I learned what it means to be a citizen and be civil: We learned how to find fake news through SIFT, meaning you stop, investigate, find and trace all of your news. We are spreading the truths and ruling out the myths or misconceptions.” New friends from across the United States awaited the Washington state agents at the conference that last convened in 2019 before COVID-19 interruptions. All were asked to define citizenship, and workshops broke off into separate groups
From left, Dakota Rivera, Mariah Moran, Sam Hatrim-Lowe, Beckett Landon and Elsie Cziske show off their American pride in Kittitas County 4-H Council secretary Rachel George’s selfie on the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. where they debated topics including dress codes — which many thought needed to loosen up — and gun control, where the room was split and several were neutral. “It was really informative in showing us how to debate and not argue, and in ways we can listen to others and hear others’ opinions and help them hear our opinions,” said Landon, who feels he’s “as wise as a 17-year-old can be.” George’s crew come up with things they wanted to do and see, and they all agreed that the Washington Metro was the biggest difference from home. The United States Holocaust Museum, full of disquieting truth that dispels misinformation, was the most impactful sight in the whirlwind affair. “Walking through that museum, it changes your perspective on life and the freedoms we have,” said George, who’s been through the museum many times and is always affected in some way. “Having a real-life glimpse of what it is, it’s always humbling for me as an adult processing all of that information.”
10 | 4-H & FFA • 2022
