Twin Valley 4-H Multi Club Coming to Area

Currently Jolene De Vries travels to Grenfell to be involved in 4-H activities with her daughter.
At the moment there are 4 children from Esterhazy that travel to Grenfell for to participate in the Elcapo Lighthorse 4-H Club.
The Elcapo Lighthorse Club in Grenfel is one of the organizations in the area still providing the activities so many area residents grew up being involved with.
The hours spent driving to Grenfell helped motivate Jolene to put the word out for interest in starting a club closer to home in Esterhazy. ““I really didn’t know anything about
4-H it before this year. After getting to know how much the program offers and seeing how much Tayva is learning, I thought, why don’t we have it here? If we can help the youth in the
community, all the better. I had been thinking about starting a club here for a bit thinking it would be too much work but decided to jump in and get things going.” said De Vries.
A number of programs are available but leaders are needed for the project to run.
She is hoping to have the organization in full swing once she can finalize participants, partnerships and screened leader volunteers.
The registration will happen at the beginning of September 2020.
De Vries talked to a few local businesses about partnerships but the project is just building.
More partnerships are welcome but there has not been enough time for a large communication campaign yet to raise awareness.
There are a few parents interested in becoming leaders so far but more are welcome to volunteer.
Participants all around the area seem to be interested.
Since the leaders are working with youth a vulnerable sector check, a criminal record check and three references are required.
4-H is one of Canada’s largest youth organizations. Their concept of Learn To Do by Doing has expanded from rural roots to include more than 50 project options available today.
4-H Saskatchewan provides members and leaders with learning experiences tailored to the needs and interests of each individual.
All members develop leadership skills primarily through the completion of projects.
The 4-H program has four core values which the four H’s represent.
Head: managing, thinking
Heart: relating, caring
Hands: giving, working
Health: being, living
The 4-H Pledge was recently updated to reflect the group’s world involvement. It states”I pledge
My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
My health to better living,
For my club, my community,
my country, and my world.”
Some of the activities available include lighthorse, trapping, veterinarian tasks, rodeo to tracking.
It is not just a “farming group” as skills such as welding, small-engine, wood-working and more are available.
Are you creative or crafty? Look into creative writing, sewing, woolcrafts, creative arts, leathercraft, cake decorating or scrapbooking.
If you know a youth interested in learning how things work, the following programs may be of interest: welding, small engines, farm tractors/machinery, bicycles, or woodworking and carving.
Youngsters interested in nature and being active may want to ask about geocaching, camping, photography, bird watching or archery.
There are programs for the tech-savvy youth that include robotics, engineering, science in the kitchen and plant science.
4H is traditionally known for its involvement with animals, even though the projects are wide-ranging.
Projects involving animals include: horse, beef, sheep, goat, rabbit, canine and more.
Food topics that might grab a young learners attention could be: aquaculture, gardening, beekeeping, fishing or field crops.
It is important to remember that each activity requires two leaders.
Many projects are available if participants are interested and leaders volunteer for them.
Building life skills is one part of 4H that sometimes is forgotten.
Public speaking, keeping record books and achievement day are all activities that participants in Saskatchewan must prepare for along the way.
The group is currently utilizing a mobile device app called Flip Give.
Through the app, users can donate to the group by buying gift cards to places they shop or eat, as well as other items they would already be purchasing.
A letter of intent was drafted and submitted to the 4H governing authority.
Previously there were clubs in Bangor (Lighthorse) and Gerald (beef), and others in areas such as MacNutt years ago.
The organization began in 1901 in Missouri, USA.
In 1913, 4-H in Canada began at the Boys and Girls Club in Roland, Manitoba. 1952 brought a name change as the group was retitled “4-H Canada”.
Learn To Do By Doing was also established as the 4-H motto at this time.
4H is a program with long-standing roots in our area.
Thanks to the hard work of Jolene De Vries and the leaders willing to volunteer, a new group will be established for years, hopefully decades, into the future.