National 4-H Week Marked in Webster County

October 7 to13 is National 4-H Week and Webster County 4-H clubs are celebrating along with thousands of clubs and members throughout the country by promoting 4-H in their local towns and schools. The National 4-H Week theme this year is “Join the Revolution of Responsibility.” Turning ideas into action, 4-H youth are becoming everyday heroes who persevere through challenges to leave lasting, positive impacts on their communities. Through the work of caring mentors, 4-H - a positive youth development organization - is cultivating a growing number of America's youth to lead us in a Revolution of Responsibility. Their commitment challenges us all to join the movement toward meaningful change.

What is the 4-H Revolution of Responsibility? It’s a movement for positive change in every community in America. 4-H youth are a living breathing, culture-changing revolution for doing the right thing, breaking through obstacles and pushing our country forward by making a measurable difference right where they live. That takes uncommon commitment. The Revolution of Responsibility comes to life every day through real 4-H'ers who are making real impacts in their communities. Whether they are a 4-H educator, volunteer, or member, everyone has a story from their experiences in 4-H. You can watch 4-H in action at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC90-fGzGuo

4-H began 110 years ago and is now the country’s largest youth development organization. 4-H has something for everyone, whether you live in a city, in a town, or in the country. 4-H is a youth development program that teaches life skills, leadership, responsibility, and public speaking to members in grades K-13. It is where the fun is learning and learning is fun. 4-H is the nation's largest youth development organization. Today, 4-H has an expansive reach nationwide, serving more than 6 million youths in rural, urban, and suburban communities in every state across the nation. 1 in every 3 age-eligible youth in all 93 counties in Nebraska are 4-Her’s. Nearly 70,000 youth participated in school enrichment experiences. Over 42,000 Nebraska youth were members of a 4-H club and nearly 10,000 youth and adults participated in 4-H camping programs. Over 11,000 volunteers share their time and resources with Nebraska 4-H. In Webster County, more than 250 4-H members and 20 volunteers are involved in 4 H. You can find much more on Nebraska 4-H at: http://4h.unl.edu/

Kids can join a 4-H club, go to camp, or take part in a county fair. There are lots of exciting activities, from animals to outdoor adventure, from cooking and nutrition to science and shooting sports. 4-H members participate in hands-on learning activities. Club meetings are set up by the club leader. Members are able to participate in activities on the club, county and state levels.

Recent findings from Tufts University's 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that young people in 4-H are three times more likely to contribute to their communities than youths not participating in 4-H. Other findings were that 4-H youths were nearly twice as likely to get better grades in school and to plan to go to college, as well as being 41 percent less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Notably, the Tufts research discovered that the structured learning, encouragement and adult mentoring that 4-H'ers receive play a vital role in helping them actively contribute to their communities.

Today's 4-H youths are dealing with some of the nation's top issues, from global food security, climate change and sustainable energy to childhood obesity and food safety. 4-H out-of-school programming, in-school enrichment programs, clubs and camps also offer a wide variety of science, engineering, technology and applied math educational opportunities to improve the nation's ability to compete in key scientific fields and take on the leading challenges of the 21st Century. The Webster County UNL Extension Office and Junior Leaders encourage all of our Webster County youth to “Join the Revolution of Responsibility!”