4-H members in Henderson, Knox, McDonough and Warren counties will join the 6 million youth across the country in celebrating National 4-H Week Oct. 6-12. 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.
”4-H’s learn by doing philosophy encourages youth to experiment, innovate, and think independently, said Shelby Carlson, University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth Development Educator. “4-H grows confident kids who tackle issues that matter most in their communities.”
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 Carlson. 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.
To learn more about 4-H and enroll your child in a local club, one may contact:
Nicole Nelson, 4-H program coordinator for Knox County 309.342.5108.
McCala Miller, 4-H program coordinator for Henderson and Warren Counties at 309.734.5161.
Beth Chatterton, 4-H program coordinator for McDonough County at 309.837.3939.
Julian Inniss, 4-H SPIN coordinator for Henderson, Knox, McDonough and Warren Counties at 309.342.5108.
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About 4-H: Illinois 4-H strives to help youth learn skills for living. University of Illinois Extension provides 4-H programs in every county in Illinois. Illinois 4-H aims to impact the lives of 200,000 youth each year through sustained learning clubs and groups and short-term programming.
***Report Courtesy of the University of Illinois Extension***
