On January 8th, we traveled to Lethbridge, Alberta.  We arrived at the motel early enough to do some evening shopping at the downtown mall.  On Friday morning we met the charter bus at the Ag Canada Research Centre.  We then traveled to Red Deer, stopping along the way to pick up other leaders on the way north.  The bus trip was a great chance to meet our Canadian 4-H leaders hosts, learn how the 4-H program works in the province of Alberta, and how it compares to our programs in Montana.  Everyone shared jokes and lunch on the way.

After arriving in Red Deer around 4:00 p.m., we were met at the lodge by the host committee for this year's forum.  The conference them was, 'Leaders Building Leaders.'  The motel was decorated in a road construction theme.  We were able to check into our rooms and get registered.  After the evening meal we participated in a small group activity where we competed with other groups to obtain the 'building' materials needed to construct a 'perfect leader' model.  This was a great way to divide the large group of approximately 400 leaders into smaller groups and allow us to get to know other leaders from around the province.  We spent the rest of the evening just mingling.

Saturday morning arrived very quickly since bedtime was late the night before.  Breakfast and then workshops started the day off.  Maximizing Youth Potential, Growing Enthusiasm, and Taking Time for Time were a sample of the informative workshop opportunities available.  We then had lunch and the Alberta Premier 4-H member spoke to us.  Their premier member is like Montana's Ambassador State Officers.  In the afternoon we again participated in workshops of our own choosing.  That evening we attended a semi-formal banquet where awards were presented to their Hall of Fame Inductees.  The awards banquet was following by dancing until the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday morning came even more quickly than the day before.  We again had breakfast and a non-denomination church service.  We had time to check out of our room before the keynote speaker, Zandra Bell, began.  She portrayed the wife, complete with a zany polyester outfit, of a man going through his mid-life crisis who had decided to become a 4-H leader.  The stories she told kept us all laughing for over an hour.  This was one of the highlights of the conference!  After lunch we boarded our bus for the return trip to Lethbridge.  This part of the trip was really great because we had met some wonderful leaders and again had time to exchanges ideas for 4-H.  Out club is looking at exchanging or having a get-together with a club from Pincher Creek.  

We made some great contacts on this trip, and it renewed our energy to become the best leaders that we can be.  We recommend that all Montana leaders take advantage of this opportunity.  The Montana delegation were treated as important guests of Alberta 4-H.  The charter bus and conference were completely sponsored by them.  The Montana Leaders Council assists with travel expenses from Montana to Lethbridge.  It was a great time to mix with leaders from Montana, as well as leaders from Canada.  So get your application in and enjoy a fun-filled trip to Canada!
                                                                                    ~ Tom & Marilyn Jurenka