Island County 4-H
Participate
CONTENTS:
Clubs
For over 100 years, the primary way kids participated in 4-H was through clubs. Here on Whidbey Island, clubs remain our most popular 4-H program. In a club, youth from 5-19 are given the opportunity to run for office, practice leadership roles, raise and manage their clubís money, pitch in with community service efforts, go to the Island County Fair, and so much more.
Each club, with guidance from their adult leaders, determines how often they will meet, where and when they will meet, and how they organize their meetings.
When seeking a club to join, we recommend that you identify clubs that interest you, and visit their meetings, and then select the one(s) to apply for. Some clubs limit the number of members they accept at any given time, or establish a date after which they no long accept new members for the year. As with any group endeavor, it is important to make sure you feel comfortable with the groupís activities, personalities, and age levels.
When you have selected a club and are ready to join, fill in the application form.
For more information, contact the 4-H Office (see bottom of page).
Family 4-H
There are many reasons why the club format is out of reach for some families. The primary one is the difficulty we all face in finding a schedule that matches our own! Weíre all super busy these days and often shy away from commitments that feel too overwhelming!
In spite of this big hurdle, there are still many resources and opportunities that WSU Extension would like to make accessible to families. At this point in time, there are two Family 4-H options available. To participate in either one, we ask that you complete a 4-H Enrollment form so that we can track how we are doing in the community.
The Food For Thought Program is designed to provide a wide assortment of conversations and activities you can do with your family relating to how food ends up on your table. These activities include cooking classes, on-line recipes, gardening activities on your own or at public gardens, and projects around working with our local food banks.
Family 4-H clubs
that focus on a general 4-H curricula are also possible. In such a setting, a family can choose to follow any available 4-H curricula - if such a project involves animals, however, the family needs to get pre-approval from the 4-H Program Coordinator and the superintendent of that animal division. This is to ensure appropriate animal care requirements are met, and potential exhibit space at the fair is available if the family chooses to participate there.
School Enrichment
WSU Extension has many resources that can support teachers in the classroom. Service Learning opportunities, in particular, can be energized via a wide range of connections WSU Extension can offer educators and their students. If you are interested in creating such an opportunity, please contact the 4-H Program Coordinator.
Camp Cornet
Although located on Whidbey Island, this summer camp is run by the Whatcom County 4-H Office. At this time, the Island County 4-H Program does not have any camperships/scholarships available for non-4-Híers. However, more information about the camp can be found at:
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/4%2Dh/camp/about.htm
This page updated: 20 March 2008