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Multiple Lowndes County students were among the elite group of ninth and tenth graders who attended the Alfa Youth Leadership Conference last week.

The event, which was held at the 4-H Center in Columbiana, saw attendees from 30 counties come together to train to become future leaders.

Sponsored by the Alabama Farmers Federation, Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation, county Farmers Federations and Alabama Farm Credit (AFC), the conference gave student the opportunity to focus on identifying personal strengths, developing negotiation skills, discovering a passion for service. Team building activities and teen safety workshops were also featured at the conference.

“This meeting helps prepare students to be future leaders, but in many cases, they’re already leaders in their school and community,” said Wiley Bailey, who helped coordinate the conference for the Federation. “It’s important to inspire young leaders and get them involved as advocates for agriculture and to encourage them to serve their communities.”

The AFC was a new supporter of the program this year and sponsored motivational speaker and leadership trainer Rhett Laubach who challenged students to be a positive influence on their peers.

“Alabama Farm Credit understands the importance of creating advocates for agriculture through our next generation,” said Samantha Southerland, AFC’s Public Relations and Marketing manager. “That is why helping sponsor this event for the Alabama Farmers Federation was important to us. The Federation does an excellent job providing education to our youth in a way that motivates them to become leaders in their communities.”

Another conference is scheduled to take place this November.