Knox County Youth to Celebrate National 4-H Week October 4-10

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Submitted by Crystal Murr, Knox County 4-H YPA

Edina, MO (October 2, 2020) — Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H. The theme for this year’s National 4-H Week, Opportunity4All, is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America. 

With so many children struggling to reach their full potential, 4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families and communities across the country. In 4-H, we believe every child should have an equal opportunity to succeed. We believe every child should have the skills they need to make a difference in the world.  

Knox County 4-H will observe National 4-H Week this year by highlighting some of the inspirational 4-H youth in our community who are working tirelessly to support each other and their communities.  

“We believe youth perspectives are so important and a solution to eliminating the opportunity gap, because young people come with new ideas and new ways of seeing the world,” explains Jennifer Sirangelo, President and CEO of National 4-H Council. By encouraging diverse voices and innovative actions, 4-H believes that solutions can be found to address the educational, economic and health issues that have created the opportunity gap. 

Knox County 4-H has a range of activities planned to promote and celebrate National 4-H Week this year. On Monday morning, 4-H members will raise the flag on the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn and the Knox County Commission will sign a document proclaiming October 4-10, 20 National 4-H Week in Knox County. Also that morning, a 4-H Trivia contest will kick off in the elementary, as well as a Facebook Challenge. Students will have an opportunity to submit their answers daily and prizes will be awarded to the winners later in the week. Join Knox County 4-H members and volunteers as they share on KMEM Coffee Break on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, 4-H members, volunteers and alumni are asked to wear their green in support of 4-H. Show your @4-H pride and share what opportunity means to you by wearing green or the 4-H clover on Wednesday, October 7 for #National4HWeek spirit day! Decorate an Opportunity4All sign and share your pictures on social media using the hashtag #Opportunity4All.  

One of the most anticipated events of National 4-H Week every year is the 4-H STEM Challenge, formerly known as National Youth Science Day. The theme of this year’s event, which is expected to see hundreds of thousands of youth across the nation taking part throughout October, is Mars Base Camp. Developed by Google and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Mars Base Camp is a collection of activities that teaches kids ages 8-14 STEM skills, including mechanical engineering, physics, computer science and agriculture. KCR-1 third graders will participate in this annual event on Thursday in science class, using kits donated by the state 4-H office.

“Although we can’t physically be in the school this year, we have made arrangements to show a 4-H promotional video on Friday morning and provide goody bags with 4-H information to every child in elementary,” says Crystal Murr, 4-H Youth Program Associate in Knox County. “There are always new opportunities for growth within the 4-H program and we want to share them with our youth and families. As the campaign theme suggests, there really is opportunities for all youth within 4-H to find and develop their spark.” 

“In Knox County, 4-H has a rich heritage and has many outstanding 4-H alumni return to volunteer in their county program.  Currently there are more than 80 4-H youth and 40 volunteers from our community that are involved in 4-H. The thing that is not well known about 4-H,” says Chase Brenizer, “is that it’s not only about livestock, or shooting sports anymore. There are a number of things that 4-H offers to the youth in this community, from learning about photography and robotics, to the livestock and the shooting sports. The one thing that you will get out of 4-H no matter what you choose is an education on how to become a leader and a good steward to your community and everyday life.” 

If you have a particular passion or skill, we would love for you to share it with our young people. “4-H SPIN Clubs are short-term, focused 4-H experiences, for busy families and growing communities. The great thing about 4-H SPIN Clubs is that they offer a way to get involved with shorter time commitment. For more information, contact Crystal Murr at the University of Missouri Extension office at 660-397-2179 or karhoffc@missouri.edu

To learn more about how you can get involved, visit http://www.4-h.org/.

About 4-H

4-H, the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivates confident kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities right now. In the United States, 4-H programs empower six million young people through the 110 land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension in more than 3,000 local offices serving every county and parish in the country. Outside the United States, independent, country-led 4-H organizations empower one million young people in more than 50 countries. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of the Cooperative Extension System and 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.