Conferences designed for volunteers are an opportunity to show off your expertise in your subject area, to make good friends, to eat wonderful foods, and to keep learning. There are several major volunteer conferences. I’ll review a conference at the regional and our California state volunteers conference.

The first is the Western Regional Leaders Forum. This is fondly known as WRLF. This conference was started in California in 1966 as a staff and volunteer joint effort and now some fifteen years later it is still going strong! This conference is a three-day leadership opportunity for county staff and master volunteers to share skills and knowledge. The conference is held during the first week of March or the last week in February. One of the thirteen 13 Western States hosts the conference. In 2008 it was hosted by Idaho, in the coming year it will be hosted by Colorado (2009).

If you have an expertise, now is the time to apply to present a workshop. June 1st is the deadline for workshop submissions see: http://www.colorado4h.org/wrlf09/index.shtml. The conference will be held in Denver, CO on February 25-March 1, 2009. It will be a fun time in Denver. One night of the three is a theme night… In Alaska we held a duct tape ball—all dresses, vests, and pants, and purses were all duct tape.. .I never knew it could be such high fashion! In Utah we all got dressed up like we were in the old west…….

So show your fun side as well as your serious side……That’s what being a volunteer leader is all about! Colorado’s conference is called the Round-up... I expect to see a few cowboys and cowgirls…

A little closer to home the California State Leaders Forum 2008 is held November 7th through the 9th and the South Central section volunteers say “4-H Rocks!” The conference will be held on the grounds where the first leader’s forum took place, in beautiful Pacific Grove, California on the grounds of the Asilomar, one California’s state parks. The workshop applications are due June 27, 2008 http://www.ca4h.org/conference/slf/index.asp.

Every year over 225 volunteers from around the state participate in this event. It is a time of learning and reflection at the refuge by the sea. Each year one of the four volunteer leader sections hosts the conference. So it has its own flavor reflecting the various regions of California. It is always a surprise and a delight to see what comes next. California is known for its high quality educational sessions. We even offer a first year leader track for new leaders. Come and enjoy this experience…

You give so much…Here’s a plac

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