Sanders County celebrates 4-H week Oct. 4-10

Clark Fork Valley Press

Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H.

The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week, Opportunity4All, is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America.

With so many children struggling to reach their full potential, 4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families and communities across the country. In 4-H, we believe every child should have an equal opportunity to succeed. We believe every child should have the skills they need to make a difference in the world.

Sanders County 4-H will observe National 4-H Week this year by highlighting some of the inspirational 4-H youth in our community who are working tirelessly to support each other and their communities.

“We believe youth perspectives are so important and a solution to eliminating the opportunity gap, because young people come with new ideas and new ways of seeing the world,” explains Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO of National 4-H Council.

By encouraging diverse voices and innovative actions, 4-H believes that solutions can be found to address the educational, economic and health issues that have created the opportunity gap.

“In 4-H, if you can dream it, you can do it! 4-H offers more than 200 different project and learning experiences that actively engage youth while having fun. 4-H projects rely on trained adult volunteers who work with youth as partners and a resource for hands-on learning. From going to camp, being a club officer, learning how to cook or sew, to raising an animal, conservation and robotics. 4-H offers you a wide range of choices and opportunities to learn and grow,” said Juli Thurston, Sanders County 4-H Extension Agent.

One of the most anticipated events of National 4-H Week every year is the 4-H STEM Challenge, formerly known as National Youth Science Day. The theme of this year’s event, which is expected to see hundreds of thousands of youth across the nation taking part throughout October, is Mars Base Camp. Developed by Google and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Mars Base Camp is a collection of activities that teaches kids ages 8-14 STEM skills, including mechanical engineering, physics, computer science and agriculture.

In Sanders County, more than 125 4-H youth and 30 volunteers from the community are involved in 4-H. To join or learn more about 4-H in Sanders County, contact the local Extension Office at 827-6934 or go to https://sanders.msuextension.org/4h.html.

For more information about 4-H go to www.4-H.org, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H.