The new look of 4-H

It is a Tuesday morning and Lisa Frink is setting up video equipment in a JA Wendt Elementary school classroom.

“Where did you get all of that stuff?” a student asks of her camera and tripod.

“It belongs to 4-H,” replies Frink who serves as the 4-H Youth Mobilization and Leadership Coordinator for Wahkiakum County.

“I thought 4-H was all about raising animals,” says the girl in the front of the class.

“Not anymore,” Frink answers.

Today 4-H is everywhere and it is the largest youth development organization in the nation. The United States has more than 5 million members and 600,000 leaders including some very dedicated people right here in Wahkiakum County.

Wahkiakum County 4-H seeks to empower youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. It is a practical, “learning by doing” educational program with volunteers working together on 4-H projects and life experiences in a variety of ways.

Though opportunities to learn cooking and work with farm animals still exist, students are exploring new ways to get involved.

“For me, the best thing is the video editing,” says 6th grader Cole Hauff who attends media club at the WSU Wahkiakum County Extension. “We get to make films here; acting, directing and editing our work. There are rules that we have to follow but there are no restrictions on creativity.”

Frink, who supervises media club, encourages the students to make a wide variety of films. “One week, they’ll be working on a project that they’ve created together. The next week, I’ll come in and ask them to make a ‘How to” video or do a public service announcement.”

“This is a really good experience,” explains Elia Ward who is a junior at Wahkiakum High School, “I’d like to be a director someday and this is helping me prepare for college and beyond. 4-H gives students a chance to make our thoughts and ideas a reality.”

4-H media club students are gaining valuable experiences writing, directing, filming, editing and acting in their movies but there are other ways for students to get involved.

“I really like the music,” says Anna Kuhn, a 6th grade student, “We use garage band to make our own music and then we can add the songs that we’ve made to our films.”

“We like to get out stuff out there,” says Ward.

“They are always coming in to see how many people have viewed their videos online. They get really excited when they realize that people are seeing their work. We just entered a video contest through the library. We didn’t win but a link to one of our videos is on the Washington State Library’s homepage. That alone was kind of a victory for the kids,” Frink adds.

4-H offers a wide variety of projects and activities, including workshops, conferences, camps, community service projects, and leadership development opportunities. Membership is open to anyone age 5 and in kindergarten through 12th grade for most programs.

“There is something available for just about anybody,” says Frink, “Carrie Backman, Director of the WSU Wahkiakum County Extension, or I can help connect you with open clubs and other 4-H opportunities depending on your age and interests.”

“We also have our Great White Tail Run coming up on May 19th. This is our 28th annual run. Carol Ervest started it 28 years ago with our Extension agent then and still keeps it going strong. We attract walkers and runners from all over the region. We do an annual art contest for the run t-shirt design, and this year the youth artists will be honored at an artist reception May 12th at the Tsuga Gallery, 5-7 p.m.. We have some activities coming up this summer too – like our canning classes, horse camp and all of our fair prep activities.” Carrie Backman says.

Over the years, 4-H has certainly expanded beyond cows and cooking, however, their vision remains true. 4-H seeks to create a world in which youth and adults learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change. Local projects including prevention work and the community garden are engaging youth in hands-on, inquiry-based learning in a positive youth development context.

“We’re having fun, too,” adds Hauff, “We get to come down here and hang out with our friends and even make some new ones.”