February is Nebraska 4-H month. 4-H is growing to include more than just the canning and corn clubs of our grandparents’ day.
Today, Nebraska 4-H has more youth discovering their true aspirations and connecting those dots to career exploration through hands-on learning experiences, such as after-school programs and summer camps, than ever before.
Kathleen Lodl, Nebraska’s associate dean and state 4-H program administrator, says 4-H is about helping youth develop lifelong leadership skills. It’s about sparking their interest and helping them determine how that interest could evolve into talents that will fill Nebraska’s career pipeline and prepare them to be the next generation of Nebraska leaders, she explains.
Here is a list of 10 ways Nebraska 4-H continues to ignite that spark:
1. Availability. 4-H is available for all children ages 5-19, boy or girl, on the farm or in the city, in all of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Just look for the recognizable green and white four “H’s” on the clover emblem.
2. High participation. One in 3 age-eligible young Nebraskans takes part in 4-H, which is America’s largest youth development organization, Lodl says. Nebraska Extension brings 4-H to Nebraska, and with it, university resources and research for young people to gain experiences that help them become creative thinkers.
3. Forming connections. 4-H connects kids with caring adults, including people in business and the community. Lodl explains that when a student invests in a local project and quickly learns that they want to pursue that interest and maybe move back to their community, everyone wins in the long run.
4. Variety of projects. More than 150 projects are offered through Nebraska 4-H from STEM, livestock and husbandry, leadership and communication, nutrition and health, photography and expressive arts, career and college readiness, entrepreneurship, and plant science.
5. New friendships. Friendship and fellowship is created through 4-H clubs, organized groups that meet regularly to focus on learning to work with others, teaching peers and decision making. This is where the real-world experiences and respect for and from others comes into play, Lodl says.
6. Classroom experiences. School enrichment allows 4-H to reach directly into classrooms to offer nonformal, hands-on educational experiences in support of the school curriculum.
7. Hands-on activities. After-school 4-H programs allow a safe learning environment where kids enjoy educational experiences through hands-on activities and 4-H curriculum.
8. State camp. State 4-H camp is tucked in the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey. The camp experience is honoring traditions of the past such as campfires and songs, the high ropes course, canoeing, and cabin lodging, while developing as an immersive learning environment for youth of all ages.
Andy Larson, 4-H innovation and entrepreneurship Extension educator, says kids today are often tied to technology, so organizers are embracing positive ways to use those tools at camp by creating multimedia projects such as podcasts and tech scavenger hunts, allowing youth to safely be adventurous, grow and learn.
A stay at the state’s residential camp is an experience youth may not get anywhere else in Nebraska, Larson says. With thick forested trails and tall ponderosa pines, the camp gathers a unique blending of Nebraska’s rural and city youth for building lifelong relationships. For a complete list of upcoming 4-H camps for 2022, visit 4h.unl.edu.
9. Special-interest programs. Nebraska 4-H’s special-interest programs include short-term experiences with common aims such as workshops or clinics. These experiences focus on a single topic such as robotics or shooting sports, for instance, with direct teaching by trained staff or volunteers.
10. Continuing to evolve. Take a look at 2022. “4-H is still meeting basic needs of helping youth become competent, caring citizens of good character, while evolving to meet expectations of today’s youth,” Lodl says. Judging from its past success and continuing commitment to youth, it is clear that Nebraska 4-H will continue to do what it has done so well for the past decades, make the best better, she adds.
During February, special days of celebration are planned across the state, including 4-H Spirit Day, which was held on Feb. 2; 4-H Volunteer Day, planned for Feb. 9; 4-H Weekend of Service set for Feb. 12-13; 4-H Sponsor and Donor Appreciation Day on Feb. 16; and 4-H Professional Appreciation Day on Feb. 23.
To learn more about 4-H in your community or to get involved, contact your local Nebraska Extension office and visit 4h.unl.edu.
Wortmann writes from Crofton, Neb.
4-H is more than the canning and corn clubs of the past, with more opportunities for youth than ever.
