March 29, 2024

Clarke youths to celebrate National 4-H Week Oct. 5-11

More than 6 million young people across the country will celebrate National 4-H Week, an annual celebration of 4-H during the first full week of October.

Clarke County 4-H will leverage National 4-H Week this year to showcase the things 4-H offers young people and highlights the incredible 4-H youths in the community who work each day to make a positive impact on the community.

Local businesses are helping to celebrate National 4-H Week by showcasing a large 4-H sign one day throughout 4-H week. Look for this sign at the following local businesses:

Sunday- Hy-Vee

Monday- Clarke County State Bank

Tuesday- American State Bank

Wednesday- Ranch Cowgirl Couture

Thursday- Robinson’s

Friday- Farm and Home

Saturday- The Harvest Barn

From Oct. 6-10, stop by the Clarke County Extension Office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and get your picture taken with the #iam4H sign. Youths, volunteers, professionals and alumni are encouraged to share their pride photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, along with the #iam4H and #4HWeek hashtags.

Clarke County also helped to celebrate by having a coloring contest for all youths in third grade and younger. This was open to everyone, not just 4-Hers. Coloring pages were available last week at the Clarke County Extension Office, The Harvest Barn and Hy-Vee. These colorful works of art are currently being displayed in the window of the extension office throughout the week. Each participant received a small gift for participating.

In Clarke County more than 200 4-H youths and 26 volunteers from the community are involved in 4‑H.

“Last year Clarke County 4-H increased its 4-H enrollment by a stunning 14 percent. I like to think it’s because the Clarke County 4-H program continues to evolve with the times” said Jennifer Pollard, county youth and outreach coordinator.

4-H Clubs are both general in nature where 4-Hers learn about many different topics and work together for a common goal. Other clubs focus on specific subjects such as dogs, shooting sports, horses and robotics. 4-H provides opportunities for youth to develop skills they can use now and throughout their life.

Research has proven that participation in 4-H has a significant positive impact on young people. Recent findings from the Tufts University 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that, when compared to their peers, young people in 4-H are:

• Nearly four times more likely to contribute to their communities

• Two times more likely to pursue healthy behaviors like, and

• Two times more likely to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs in the out-of-school time.

About 4-H:

4-H, the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivates confident children who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities right now. 4-H organizations empower 1 million young people in more than 50 countries.

If you would like to learn how to become a 4-Her or volunteer please stop by the Clarke County Extension Office, call at 641-342-3316 or visit the website at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/clarke.