Green County 2019 Guide

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NEXT GENERATION 4-H - BUILDING FAMILIES, BUILDING COMMUNITIES

brothers and sisters who aren’t old enough to be members yet are off in another area with their own activities. You don’t need to get a sitter.” The club’s master plan is set with opportunities for learning and/ or service each month. They’ve cleaned up along highways, in parks and at the Fairgrounds. They’ve made toys for pets at the Humane Society, and hats and blankets for hospital patients. They’ve been on the assembly line to fill Christmas give-away boxes for the Monroe Women’s Club. “I want to teach the kids that service is a great opportunity to learn more and give back,” said Debbie. Communication is the key to keeping everything (and everyone) organized. Debbie does a newsletter and regularly posts reminders on the club’s Facebook page. She is also quick to mention that the support from parents and leaders is vital and appreciated. “We have the best volunteers, everyone has a particular strength. We divide and conquer, with key adults leading projects. I expect courtesy, teamwork and cooperation, and I’ve never been failed,” said Debbie.

“When a child joins, I learn their strengths and see what they can do,” she said. “Belonging to a 4-H club is not just taking a project to fair. It provides building skills from youth to adulthood, establishes values, respect, and responsibility in our young people.”

When Debbie Myers started a 4-H Club back in 2013, she had two main goals: involve the entire family, and teach kids about community service. Debbie herself was a 4-H’er in Rock County, and her own kids were members of a Green County Club. When Debbie’s grandson Shad joined a club, it wasn’t quite the experience she wanted for him. So with the encouragement of then 4-H and Youth Agent Alyssa Grenawalt, Debbie took the initiative to start her own group. “We called it Next Generation 4-H, because we wanted to make it different,” she said. Starting with just nine families, the growth and success of the club was based on a few key principles. Sunday afternoon meetings don’t interfere with church or chores. Activities at the meetings are constructive and fun. Club members don’t have to go out and sell things to raise money. And the entire family is encouraged to attend all the meetings. Next Generation 4-H now has 72 families, 114 youth members, and 57 adult leaders. “We might have 125 people at a meeting,” said Debbie. “Grandpa is helping a Cloverbud (younger 4-H member) build a birdhouse, members are at project stations, and the little

Kids from the original nine families are now sixteen and seventeen years old. Her own grandson Shad, who came to live with her at six months old, is now twenty-one. Debbie has watched them all grow up, with pride.

There are seventeen 4-H clubs in Green County. Membership is open to ages kindergarten through one year past high school. Contact Ellen Andrews, Green County 4-H Youth Development Educator, at 608.328.9440 for more information.

August 2 - 4, 2019

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