4-H Awareness Team visits Wayne County schools

The 4-H Awareness Team ventured out to Wayne County schools ahead of the enrollment deadline that is rapidly approaching April 1. To be eligible, youth must be at least 8 years old and in third grade. Youth age 9 and older are eligible to join 4-H, regardless of the grade level. Accommodations are available for 4-H youth with disabilities through the Winning 4-H Plan. There is truly a place for everyone in 4-H to learn and feel welcome; come grow with us.

The 4-H Awareness Team, consisting of 19 junior fair board members, was busy the past two months presenting to third-grade classrooms at eight elementary schools in Wayne County. Team members attended the school visits that worked best with their school schedules. Six more visits are hoped for, pending confirmation.

Throughout visits thus far, 607 third-grade youth have been reached, and plans are in place to visit more schools as it fits in with busy academic schedules. Youth expressed interest in STEM-related projects, including robotics coupled with coding, as well as gardening. Sewing and cooking were also popular interests.

The goal is to inform youth that 4-H is more than showing livestock. While it happens to be a large majority of the projects taken by 4-H members in Wayne County, plenty of still and FCS projects are available and teach valuable lessons that will last a lifetime.

The goal of the 4-H Awareness Team is to spread the word about 4-H, not only in Wayne County but across Ohio, in hopes of inspiring even more local youth to get involved in a program that offers so much.

The team talked to the third-graders about 4-H, answered questions and shared a snapshot of some 4-H projects available to them. The team also talked about 4-H Camp in St. Louisville and shared plenty of pictures via a slideshow, including fair, camps and meetings.

This is a great way for junior fair board members to practice their public speaking skills and step out of their comfort zone. Team members added a personal touch by sharing their experiences thus far, how long they have been in 4-H and some of their favorite projects.

The 4-H program offers a project for every youth and nearly every interest, with more than 200 projects to choose from. There is also an option for self-determined projects, which allows flexibility for youth who have an interest or hobby not covered by a current project area.

If youth need help matching their interests with a project, they can use Project Central, Ohio 4-H’s online guide to projects, with everything helpers and members need to know when choosing a project. It provides sample pages for every project and ratings and comments from other 4-H members. Visit the site at ohio4h.org/books-and-resources/project-central or the Project Guide at ohio4h.org/projectguide. If a member has trouble finding a project that fits his or her interests, the self-determined project is an option. This project allows for flexibility.

Being part of Ohio 4-H is a privilege, and it is expected that members will abide by the Ohio 4-H Code of Conduct. More information on the 4-H Winning Plan can be found online or by calling the Wayne County Extension Office. Please reach out to the Wayne County Extension Office with questions regarding membership and enrollment. Assistance is available, and anticipation is high for another successful year in Wayne County 4-H.

Hannah Getz is an Ohio State University Extension 4-H youth development educator and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or getz.107@osu.edu.