Igniting the Spark: Empowering Rural Youth with National 4-H

Rural 1^st® is furthering their commitment to empower the next generation of rural leaders with a $250,000 national-level investment made in 2025 to support 2026’s Ignite by 4-H.

Supported fully through the Association’s Community Investment Program, the funding is directed to National 4-H Council’s Beyond Ready initiative. By 2030, the initiative will equip 10 million youth across America with life, workforce and leadership skills to thrive in an ever-changing world.

By the Numbers

The Spark of Innovation

During the four-day annual summit held in Washington, D.C., 4-H members immersed themselves in hands-on workshops ranging from AgriScience and STEM to Community Accelerators.

Claire West, customer education manager for Farm Credit Mid-America and Rural 1^st, led the workshop titled “You are the Solution for Rural America.” The session challenged teens to step into the roles of community professionals to solve real-world rural issues.

“The experience allowed teens at Ignite to exercise their innovative mindset and envision how they can address challenges in their own communities,” Claire said.

The Importance of Rural Support

By funding initiatives like Ignite by 4-H, Rural 1^st aims to empower youth, bridge skill gaps and drive innovation to combat these hurdles.

With these focuses in mind, the team at Rural 1^st is also building long-term leadership capacity in communities across their service area, providing financial literacy, workforce readiness skills and encouraging students to return home with fresh solutions for local problems.

“When young people are given the opportunity to lead, they bring fresh ideas and real solutions to their communities demonstrating that our 4-H’ers are Beyond Ready for the future. Rural 1^st’s investment helps more 4-H youth build these skills and confidence to make a lasting impact.”

—Heather Elliot, National 4-H Council Chief Development & Marketing Officer

“When young people are given the opportunity to lead, they bring fresh ideas and real solutions to their communities demonstrating that our 4-H’ers are Beyond Ready for the future,” shared Heather Elliott, National 4-H Council’s chief development & marketing officer. “Rural 1^st’s investment helps more 4-H youth build these skills and confidence to make a lasting impact.”

A Full Circle Connection

The investment also supports the Lead to Change grantees. During Ignite by 4-H, previous honorees shared how investments from partners like Rural 1^st helped scale their local community projects and expand their impact.

“It was such a full-circle connection,” Claire said, noting that while current honorees celebrated their well-earned success, the next cycle of innovators were hard at work preparing their own pitches to show how they can bring change to their communities.

This year’s Lead to Change honoree is 14-year-old Zy’Kiera Aaron from Dillon, South Carolina. Her project, S.P.E.A.K., tackles youth anxiety around public speaking. “This winning moment means everything to me. Young people should feel confident standing up and sharing their ideas,” said Zy’Kiera. “I want them to know that their voice matters, and it deserves to be heard.”

The Investment’s Impact

This commitment follows investments that began in 2024, signaling Rural 1^st’s growing strategic alignment with National 4-H. Beyond the funding, the partnership provides Rural 1^st team members opportunities to engage directly with youth through financial literacy mentorship and career exploration fairs.

“Attending Ignite by 4-H gave me the opportunity to connect with students from across the country — some we have directly supported at a local level — and network with others who share a passion for supporting rural communities,” shared Brett Butler, rvp of Rural 1^st sales in Tennessee. “It was especially meaningful to see firsthand how our community investment efforts are making a real impact and to share how we serve rural America every day.”

“Attending Ignite by 4-H gave me the opportunity to connect with students from across the country — some we have directly supported at a local level — and network with others who share a passion for supporting rural communities. It was especially meaningful to see firsthand how our community investment efforts are making a real impact and to share how we serve rural America every day.”

—Brett Butler, RVP of Rural 1^st Sales in Tennessee

Through continued support of Ignite and the Beyond Ready initiative, Rural 1^st is ensuring that the future of rural America is not only resilient, but ready to lead and secure a prosperous future.

Interested in learning more about Rural 1^st’s impact in the communities we serve across America? Visit our Community Investments page for more information.