This article was written and published in the Robesonian and the Robeson Journal.
Remember when you were a child? You always wanted to be a part of something – a group of friends, a school club, or maybe a social club. Robeson County 4-H offers youth a chance to be a part of clubs and something much larger. The 4-H Youth Development Program is a dynamic nonformal educational program. This program is about having fun, learning, exploring, and discovering. Robeson County 4-H members make new friends, develop new skills, become leaders, and prepare to be successful members of the community.
The 4-H clubs are groups of youth members and adult volunteers who meet monthly. Club leadership is a joint venture between the youth and the adults. Youth are expected to run the business aspect of the meeting using parliamentary procedure. Adult volunteers are there to coach the youth through the decision-making process and assist with hands-on activities. Learning and having fun are two essential components to a successful club.
There are two types of 4-H clubs offered: community clubs and specialty clubs. These clubs are made up of boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18. The community club meetings are held in specific communities, and they study a variety of things. The specialty clubs focus on one subject matter. Some of the specialty clubs are Horse, Junior Master Gardener, Arts and Crafts, Shooting Sports, and Animal Science. Both types of clubs do volunteer work, complete community service activities, and enjoy hands-on learning projects.
In addition to 4-H clubs, we offer summer programs. There are a variety of summer camps being offered this year, such as Etiquette, Animal Science, Junior Chef, Millstone, Biotech, Cloverbud, and Betsy-Jeff Penn Overnight Camp. One of the benefits of being a 4-H member is the opportunity to sign up first for programs. For details on summer camps, visit our website at //robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/.
While many activities focus on the local 4-H clubs, members may also participate in events such as the fair; camping; teen leader trainings; county, regional, and state learning opportunities; and achievement programs. Emphasis is placed on the importance of young people being engaged and well informed.
The Robeson County 4-H Program relies on parent and adult volunteer participation to help youth reach their potential. Adults of all ages who want to share their knowledge and talents with young people through a nonformal, quality youth development program are welcome.
The 4-H Program is not just for youth living on farms; it is for all youth, wherever they live – on farms, in suburbs, or in cities.Robeson County 4-H is where there’s fun in learning and learning in fun! If 4-H sounds like a group you and your child would enjoy being a part of, then come join the revolution of responsibility in 4-H.
For more information, please contact Wendy Maynor, Extension 4-H Program Assistant with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, at 671-3276, by E-mail at wendy_maynor@ncsu.edu, or visit our website at//robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation.
