JOHNSON COUNTY — Johnson County 4-H will observe National 4-H Week this year by highlighting some of the inspirational 4-H youth in the community who are working tirelessly to support each other and their communities.
National 4-H Week is a yearly celebration by millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni coming together to promote the positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H.
4-H provides opportunities for youth to find their spark by providing educational opportunities, caring mentors and service-learning opportunities. Youth choose their own path and are guided by volunteers with similar passions.
The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week is Find Your Spark and is a campaign created by the National 4-H Council to celebrate the resiliency of young people who have brought about significant innovations in agriculture and technology.
“In Missouri 4-H, we offer all youth the opportunity to find their spark,” Director of Missouri 4-H Lupita Fabregas said. “By providing educational programming in a wide variety of areas, we allow youth to pick their own path to success and become true leaders of today and tomorrow. By providing caring adult mentors who have a passion about what they do, we are able to give youth hands-on experiences to help them on their spark.”
Johnson County 4-H youth will be sporting their 4-H clovers on Wednesday, Oct. 6, in support of what 4-H has done for them.
“If you see a 4-H member, ask them why 4-H is important to them and what they do in the program,” a University of Missouri Extension press release states.
In Johnson County, this year the 4-H reached over 500 active 4-H youth and had over 100 volunteers from the community involved in 4-H.
“4-H is a world-wide organization where youth of all backgrounds partner with caring adults to gain valuable skills. It starts at the local level – here with your neighbors, and from there, it develops strong connections and relationships, hands-on experience, a sense of belonging and leadership attributes that take all of those involved to heights they only dreamed of,” 4-H Youth Program Associate Dallas Dieckman said.
MU Extension stated that one of the most anticipated events of National 4-H Week every year is the 4-H STEM Challenge.
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 Galactic Quest. Developed by Clemson University, Galactic Quest explores the history of humans in space, the technology and resources needed for missions and the obstacles humans encounter in orbit. Activities explore important STEM topics ranging from physics and engineering to computer science and space agriculture.
To learn more about 4-H or how to get involved, visit 4-h.org/.
