By Laura Allen, Rowan County 4-H Agent

National 4-H week is Oct. 4-10 and it is a time to celebrate and promote 4-H all across our country. With nearly 6 million members across the United States, 4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization and youth right here in Rowan County are reaping the benefits of 4-H.

4-H began in 1902 as a way for rural youth to learn about leadership skills and agricultural technologies through hands-on learning. Today, 4-H, the youth development sector of Cooperative Extension, continues to focus on practical, hands-on youth development opportunities, but it is no longer limited to rural youth. 4-H is found in rural, urban and suburban communities all across our nation.

Yes, agricultural learning still happens in 4-H, but it is definitely not limited to just that. 4-H’ers today can also learn about cooking, nutrition, rocketry, robotics, environmental protection, computer science, photography, public speaking, service, and more!

We currently have nine 4-H clubs within the county that youth can become involved in to help them expand their knowledge and skills. We are always looking for adult volunteers to lead programs, too. The opportunities are endless with 4-H!

Rowan County 4-H is available to youth ages 5-18 as of their birthday on January 1 of that year.

Your child can get so much out of 4-H including: speaking skills, practice with record keeping, learning how to properly use parliamentary procedure, salesmanship skills during fundraisers, participation in competitive events (presentations, project record books, photography, quizbowl, dairy/poultry/equine/livestock judging), awards (money, pins, plaques, and more), good sportsmanship, learning to help others, lifelong friendships, travel, fun, networking opportunities, scholarship opportunities, leadership skills and more!

The skills that youth can learn through 4-H will help them throughout the rest of their lives. Plus, 4-H experiences look great on scholarship, college and job applications, which is an added bonus!

But, don’t take it from me. Read about what some of our Rowan County 4-H’ers love about 4-H:

“My favorite part of 4-H is the cooking club”, Luke, age 6

“What I like about 4-H is that you get to learn about things, meet new people and new friends. And the best part, you get to learn about the coolest and most interesting things”, Emory, age 9

“I love 4-H because it’s really fun and educational”, David, age 11

“My favorite thing about 4-H is to learn about horses”, Madisyn, age 13

“4-H has allowed me to learn a lot of life skills which are going to be very important to me later on, especially public speaking”, Laney, age 16

“Through 4-H, I have learned how to be a better leader within my club and my community”, Christian, age 16

If you are interested in having your child join 4-H or want to learn more about the 4-H program, please contact 4-H Agent Laura Allen at laura_allen@ncsu.edu or 704-216-8970. You can also follow Rowan County 4-H Program on Facebook, @Rowan4h on Twitter or rowan_4h on Instagram. 

You can financially support our 4-H program by donating money at Tractor Supply in Salisbury on October 7-18 during 4-H Paper Clover Week (you can also donate on their website and app). If you are interested in purchasing fruiting plants and trees, check out our 4-H Plant Sale going on now. 

4-H has a place for you and your family, if you’re willing to give it a try! We would love to have you!

Rowan County 4-H is the youth development component of Cooperative Extension, located at 2727-A Old Concord Road Salisbury, NC 28146. Find us at rowan.ces.ncsu.edu.