Kirsten Dubbs

If you’re a parent, a grandparent, or a child’s caregiver, you’re already thinking ahead to the many activities and opportunities that spring will bring to your family when it arrives.

If you’re considering exploring a new opportunity for a child in your life, take a few minutes to learn more about 4-H! Here’s what you need to know about 4-H today:

– The 4-H Program is offered by Penn State Extension. It offers opportunities to youth ages 5 to 18.

The Cloverbuds Program offers fun, hands-on learning and non-competitive activities for children between the ages of 5 and 7; while “regular” 4-H is open to youth ages 8 to 18. (It’s important to know that in the 4-H Program, we use a child’s “4-H age” to determine which programs and activities he or she can participate in throughout each calendar year. A young person’s “4-H age” is his or her age on Jan. 1 of the current year. This means that a child must have been between the ages of 5 and 7 on Jan. 1, 2019 to join a Cloverbuds program, or between 8 and 18 on that date in order to participate in “regular” 4-H.)

– The 4-H Program is about learning by doing. In 4-H, young people can choose from dozens and dozens of topics in which they’re interested–we call these topics “4-H project areas.” Young people enrolling in 4-H can select one project area or many–it’s up to them to decide. Throughout the year, youth participating in 4-H (who we often refer to as “4-H’ers”) learn more about their chosen projects, meet with other youth and volunteer 4-H leaders, and participate in a wide variety of activities and contests.

– The 4-H Program consists of a series of local 4-H clubs–all of them led by dedicated volunteer leaders who are screened, trained, and have experience in the project areas that their clubs offer. In Clinton County, more than a dozen different clubs meet all over the county. Some clubs focus on one or two project areas in particular; while others offer dozens of different projects. Those clubs are supervised by Penn State University Extension. Staff at the Extension office in Clinton County provide oversight to the 4-H Program, offer a wide variety of county and regional opportunities for youth and adult volunteers, and help to provide the program with the resources that it needs in order to grow. No matter where you live, there’s a 4-H club near you. This month, 4-H is launching a new club serving Renovo and surrounding areas!

– Did you know that the 4-H Program has been around for 107 years? Back in the early 1900s, the program began as an outreach effort by Penn State Extension agents, who were looking for ways to teach farm families the latest ways to grow corn or raise livestock. The program soon became an important tool for teaching life skills to rural youth; and it gradually expanded until it reached suburbs, towns, and even major cities throughout Pennsylvania. Today, the 4-H Program touches each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

– There’s an old saying: “4-H isn’t just cows and cooking”. It’s true that, in a rural county like ours, 4-H animal science projects (in which youth learn about, raise, care for, and show animals ranging from rabbits to horses) remain very popular. However, 4-H offers projects ranging from Lego robotics to archery, and fashion design and sewing to fishing. 4-H’ers can participate in the Clinton County Fair; exhibit their animals all the way to the State 4-H Horse Show, the State Dairy Show, or the PA Farm Show; compete in a wide variety of events at State 4-H Achievement Days; or even travel to events like National 4-H Congress. There’s even a 4-H club for elementary school students who attend the Lock Haven Area YMCA’s Summer School-Aged Childcare Program!

– While they learn about their chosen projects, young people practice a wide array of life skills that aren’t strictly related to projects like gardening or pet care. Youth in 4-H clubs practice working together as a team and take turns leading groups or committees. They learn to communicate–by writing down their project plans and stories, sharing their ideas with their group, or even competing in formal public speaking contests. Each year, they set project-related goals, break those goals down into manageable steps, and work with their leaders and peers to achieve their goals–a valuable life lesson. The 4-H Program gives young people the tools and the information that they need to succeed in a given project area; but then it’s up to each of them to work hard to achieve their personal 4-H goals. Former 4-H’ers often say that it’s this lesson–planning, working, and succeeding–that is the most important thing they learned in 4-H.

– Best of all, 4-H is fun! 4-H members and volunteers in Clinton County make up a friendly, close-knit community that welcomes new members. Joining the program costs between $30 and $55 per year, depending on your project area; and scholarships are available to families who cannot afford the fees. New 4-H members have until May 1 to enroll in a club. Find out more by visiting us on the web at http://extension.psu.edu/clinton; by calling 4-H Educator Kirsten Dubbs at Penn State Extension in Clinton County at 570-726-0022; or by e-mailing kdubbs@psu.edu. We hope that you can join us for a great 4-H year!

Administered in Pennsylvania by Penn State Extension, 4-H is a non-formal educational youth-development program of the United States Department of Agriculture that helps young people develop knowledge and skills to become capable, caring and contributing citizens. To find your local program, visit the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/programs/4-h.

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Kirsten Dubbs is a 4-H and Youth Development Educator with Penn State Extension in Clinton County (phone 570-726-0022).