4-H members in this county will join the 6 million youth across the country in celebrating National 4-H Week Oct. 1-7. 4-H youth development programs provide hands-on learning activities for youth in Illinois and throughout the country. 4-H youth programs focus on leadership, citizenship and life skills.
Every county in Illinois has a 4-H program which is operated through University of Illinois Extension. 4-H club membership is open to youth aged 8 to 18. Youth 5 to 7 years of age may join the 4-H Cloverbud program.
There are several ways to participate in 4-H. Youth may join 4-H clubs, coordinated by local screened adult volunteers. Each club decides how often it meets, the location of its meetings and the activities held during the meeting. Members may select from dozens of project areas to study while they build leadership, teamwork, cooperation, decision-making and communication skills.
Youth may also choose to focus on a very specific project area and join a club specifically related to that one project, said Amy McCarty, University of Illinois Extension Program Coordinator. Robotics, photography, gardening, visual arts, and nutrition, are just a few of the popular topics for special interest clubs.
One may also participate in 4-H through short term projects held during school or at after school youth organizations. Some of these popular groups teach youth about caring for the environment, preparing for a career, making healthy choices or other priority issues which build a person’s life skills.
One may learn more about joining 4-H by contacting University of Illinois Extension in White County at 618-382-2662 or emailing Amy McCarty at [email protected].
