Bureau County youth celebrate National 4-H Week

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BUREAU COUNTY — Oct. 4-10 is National 4-H Week and Bureau County is celebrating with a Celebrate 4-H Party.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, youth and families interested in the 4-H program can stop by the University of Illinois Extension office to meet with 4-H families, learn about the opportunities available, try activities from the newest 4-H projects and more.

In Bureau County, hundreds of youth and adult volunteers are involved in 4‑H clubs and groups. 4-H is open to all youth ages 5-18.

4-H clubs and groups in Bureau County include: Bureau County Cloverbuds, Bureau County Open Door, Bureau County Super South, Bureau’s Heroes, Clarion Comets, Dover-Berlin, Fine Arts and Science Team, Liberty, Manlius Boys and Girls, Neponset New Beginnings, North Stars, Princeton Golden Clovers, The Unlimited Club, Walnut Winners, Western Winning Wonders, ZAP and Zearing.

The goal of 4-H clubs and groups is to provide youth with opportunities for supervised independence, a sense of belonging with a positive group, a spirit of generosity toward others, and a wide variety of opportunities to master life’s challenges.

The fundamental 4-H ideal of practical, “learn by doing” experiences encourage youth to experiment, innovate and think independently. In a community club, members hold regular meetings, which may include decision-making, recreation and team building, presentations by club members, guest speakers and workshops, field trips, fun events, fundraisers or community service. 4-H members also work on 4-H projects, either individually or in groups, and exhibit the results of their projects at the Bureau County 4-H Fair each July.

Youth have many different project areas to choose from, which are divided into three broad areas — citizenship and leadership; healthy living; and science, engineering and technology. New and revised projects for the 2009-10 year include: 4-H Cooking 301, Bicycle, Exploring Farm Animals, Leadership: Skills You Never Outgrow, Filmmaking, Vegetable Gardening, and Veterinary Science. Other projects that have been popular in Bureau County include Visual Arts, Aerospace, Woodworking, and Photography, as well as crops and livestock projects.

Members of 4-H clubs can also participate in a wide variety of county, regional, state, national and international programs. 4-H programs are available in all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than 70 countries worldwide.

4-H offers other opportunities for participation, including school-based and after-school programs, summer camps, special interest groups, short-term projects and more.

To learn how to become a 4-H member or volunteer leader in Bureau County, contact University of Illinois Extension – Bureau County at (815) 875-2878 or stop by the office in the Becker Professional Suites, 850 Thompson St. in Princeton. All programs offered through University of Illinois Extension – Bureau County are open to all individuals regardless of place of residence, race, creed, national origin, gender, physical or mental disability, or marital status. Participants should indicate when calling/registering if they need reasonable accommodation to take part in an extension program.

4-H is a community of six million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. The 4-H programs are implemented by the 106 Land Grant Universities and the Cooperative Extension System through their 3,100 local extension offices across the country. Learn more about the 4‑H adventure at www.4-h.illinois.edu.