Local Extension 4-H Youth Development Educator Shelby Carlson was recently recognized at the state, regional, and national levels for her work in youth development programming. Carlson and collaborators Phil Gioja (Joy-a), Cindy Ogwal (Og-Wall), and Kristi Stout earned the Communicator Award for Video Program for their promotional video highlighting Illinois 4-H’s Welcome to the Real World financial literacy and career exploration program.
“That was all about a video we created to promote our Welcome to the Real World program, which is a financial literacy and career exploration program,” Carlson shared. “A team of us developed a video to help promote that program and showcase its impact, and it’s been truly powerful. Luckily, it was recognized as a national award winner.”
Welcome to the Real World is a program offered by the University of Illinois Extension to help teach area youth about financial literacy and workforce readiness.
“Our local Welcome to the Real World project, which I do in partnership with Carl Sandburg College and the Delabar CTE system out of ROE 33, was also recognized as a regional winner in Excellence in Workforce Development,” Carlson said. “And that’s certainly nothing to be disappointed about—with a regional award spanning more than 14 states across the Midwest.”
In addition, Carlson received the Excellence in Teamwork Award for her role in the Fair Resource Working Group, a team of 4-H professionals who developed tools to support colleagues during the demanding fair season.
