Celebrating the generosity of youth

Last Saturday, youth from across Bureau County gathered for our annual 4-H Holiday Gift Workshop. Youth spent the morning creating gifts to give to family and friends this holiday season. They worked on several projects and designed each one for the intended recipient.

That afternoon, 4-H Federation completed their winter service project. The group contacted local agencies that serve needy families and found out what types of items were most needed. They made a plan of what they could do to help each agency. The group provided toys for local toy drives, as well as coats, hats and gloves for the food pantry.

We’ve also had several local 4-H clubs working on service projects throughout the past few months. The Manlius Boys and Girls 4-H Club collected food to donate to the Western Bureau County Food Pantry; the Neponset New Beginnings 4-H Club made holiday cards and delivered poinsettias to people in their community. The Walnut Winners 4-H Club visited nursing home residents to share holiday greetings with them. And these are just a few examples – clubs across the county are completing community service projects during the fall and winter months.

While the generosity involved in these projects is wonderful and is certainly worth praising, it is important to note this is not the only concept being learned. When youth work together to help others, they feel they are a valuable part of the community and belong to a group of youth and adult volunteers who share a common goal. This provides opportunities for youth to feel a sense of belonging.

These projects also provide opportunities for youth to develop independence. At our holiday gift workshop; there were five projects to try, but no set schedule as to how much time to spend on each one. Many of the stations included projects that could be completed in a variety of different ways or provided different color or design choices. The 4-H Federation group had to make decisions about which items would be most needed, and what was most appropriate for each group. And when a 4-H club completes a service project, the club votes on what the project will be and how it will be implemented. In completing these projects, youth must make their own decisions and practice such skills as time management, wise use of resources and budgeting, which will all help them develop skills needed for independent living.