National 4-H Week begins October 2 and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County 4-H is busy with the start of its new year.
Monroe County 4-H educators and staff members say the national week is, “a celebration of the youth outreach component of the national land-grant universities’ Cooperative Extension Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experiential learning programs and a positive youth development approach.”
The 4-H name represents four personal development areas of focus: head, heart, hands and health. Currently, there are over 6.5 million 4-H members in the U.S. ranging in age from 5-21. In addition to agriculture, 4-H focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering and technology programs.
In Monroe County, 4-H clubs will celebrate National Youth Science Day October 5 by participating in Drone Discovery, a hands-on engineering design challenge that explores the science behind drones and how they are being used to solve real-world problems.
In addition, a Chef-for-a-Day Cook-Off is planned at Springdale Farms on October 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. Participants will learn about cooking and take part in a cooking competition. A 4-H Halloween party is planned October 21, and a holiday craft-making workshop is scheduled for December 4.
Existing community clubs are starting new projects and activities and 4-H youth educators and staff say they are working hard to form additional clubs to keep up with the level of interest that community youth are demonstrating.
Youth and their families who are interested in forming a club, can contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County at monroe4h.org or by calling 753-2550.
“Tell us what you are passionate about – robotics, cooking, photography, nutrition, and we will find kids that will want to learn about that too. Once a month or once a week … your choice. We provide training, tools and support,” 4-H staff members say.
October is also the time for supporting local 4-H activities. The fall 2016 Paper Clover Campaign is taking place at Tractor Supply Company stores from October 5 through 16. Paper clovers can be purchased for $1 with 90 percent of the proceeds going to the NYS 4-H Foundation in support of youth attending 4-H camps or other 4-H leadership opportunities.
For more information, visit the Monroe County 4-H website: http://monroe.cce.cornell.edu/4h-youth.
