The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
A young Foster County 4-H member recently shared her experience with the Foods and Nutrition project this year:
“At the beginning of the year, I did a lot of baking with my mom. She taught me how to read a recipe, start the oven, set the temperature, measure ingredients and adjust the mixer speed.
“My treats didn’t always turn out because I either forgot an ingredient or measured incorrectly. I have paid closer attention and had fewer mistakes as I have baked more.
“By the end of the year, I was able to bake without my mom in the kitchen.
“I made tasty treats to share with my family, neighbors, friends and teachers.
“I will continue baking by myself and asking questions when needed. I also plan to start baking more challenging recipes to be able to provide additional snacks for others.”
This 4-H member’s story is a great example of how 4-H projects are meant to work.
She chose baking as her focus and, with the support of an adult, built her skills and knowledge over the course of a year. By sharing her baked goods, she served others, and after confirming her interest in baking, she set new goals to keep improving.
Since its inception, 4-H has focused on hands-on learning.
While the first 4-H projects centered on agricultural production, 4-H now offers more than 50 diverse project areas, ranging from aerospace and woodworking to bicycles and cats.
A key aspect of 4-H is that members have the freedom to choose their own areas of interest and set their own pace.
Youth can focus on a single project area or explore a variety of programs during their 4-H journey.
The projects help young people build goal-setting skills and learn how to work toward achieving their objectives.
In addition to projects, 4-H offers camps, contests, trips and leadership programs at county, district, state and national levels.
The mission of 4-H is to prepare young people to become responsible, capable and engaged citizens.
Research shows that 4-H members are four times more likely to give back to their communities, twice as likely to make healthy choices and twice as likely to be civically active as their peers.
This week, October 6 – 12, is National 4-H Week. The purpose is to highlight the positive impacts of 4-H on America’s youths and to encourage more young people to join.
In Foster County last year, 129 young people participated in five 4-H clubs, with 16 adult club leaders and many additional volunteers helping ensure the program’s success.
4-H is open to all youths in kindergarten through Grade 12, ages 5 – 18 as of Aug. 31, and new enrollments are now being accepted for the 2024 – 2025 year.
If you know a young person who could benefit from 4-H, please encourage them to join.
For more information, contact the NDSU Extension office at 652-2581.
