Marissa Hurst, 4-H/Youth Development Agent
With 45 project areas, Kansas 4-H has something for everyone! From Animal Science to Engineering and Technology, we strive to help youth find their sparks, talents, and interests that they can use for the rest of their lives, whether as a career that stems from their project work or giving back to the organization as a volunteer.
Because there are so many unique projects in the 4-H system, we encourage youth to stretch out of their comfort zone to dabble in several project areas. We do not expect them to become experts in every project area, but we want to embolden youth to try something new in places they would have never thought of. This gives them the courage to try something and fail and opens them up to a wide assortment of knowledge and skills.
In a recent 4-H event, one of our 4-H members tried her hand at welding. This was a new experience for her, and she was very nervous! However, our 4-H staff reassured her that it was an opportunity to learn something new and that she might enjoy it, even if it was not something she was great at right away. Guided by an expert in the field, she tried her best and truly had a blast as she completed her welding project. She walked away with a more extensive array of knowledge.
To exhibit something at your local County Fair, you must enroll in 4-H and be enrolled in that project area. Our cutoff date to drop projects that you are no longer interested in or to add new projects that have caught your attention is May 1. Make sure to check out your 4-H online account to make sure that you are enrolled in all the projects you would like to be in at https://v2.4honline.com/.
For the entire list of projects that Kansas 4-H has to offer, visit the Kansas 4-H Website at https://www.kansas4-h.org/projects/.
The River Valley Extension District (Clay, Cloud, Republic, and Washington Counties) has 22 different clubs that would love to have you join as a youth member or volunteer. Call any of our Extension Offices for more information today: Belleville at 785-527-5084, Clay Center at 785-632-5335, Concordia at 785-243-8185, and Washington at 785-325-2121.