Author: Elijah Wilson
Major Program: Camping
Summer is not summer without 4-H Camp. However, it is not cheap to attend. The cost for a 4-H member to attend 4-H Camp during the summer of 2022 was $260 and $275 in the summer of 2023. Many families, especially those with multiple children, are not able to afford the high-quality educational experience. To address the unmet need, the Cumberland County Extension District Board made a commitment to make 4-H Camp affordable for all youth. The Cumberland County Exten
Author: Amanda Sublett
Youth who attend 4-H Camp acquire vital leadership skills, learn responsibility, and gain social interaction skills as well as gaining an understanding of nature and our environment. They also develop life skills and just have fun and experience social interaction with kids their own age.The community supports the program monetarily by providing donations for camp scholarships. The local District Board subsidized $138.00 towards every camper’s registration fee which was half of the t
Author: Austin Brewer
Success Story 4-H Summer CampFranklin County 4-H 2023 Summer Camping Week was an incredible success, with a significant increase in participation compared to the previous year. We were thrilled to welcome 99 campers, a remarkable 41% increase from the campers we had in 2022. The surge in numbers reflects our camping program's growing popularity and appeal among young individuals in our community.The energy and enthusiasm among the campers were palpable as we embarked on a thrilling adve
Author: Joe Maynard
Because of all the hardships youth struggle with to get quality experiences, it is important that 4-H does everything we can to provide Martin County students with positive experiences. According to City-Data.com only 54% of Martin County citizens have a high school diploma, 37% live in poverty and only 25% hold jobs. Of the people employed, the median household income is only $21,859 compared to $40,267 for the state of Kentucky. All schools in Martin County qualify for the national
Author: Julia McCloud
2023 4-H Camp at North Central 4-H Camp. This year Pendleton County camped with 4 other counties, which were Bracken, Robertson, Mason, and Lewis. Our camping group had a total of 347 Youth Participants and 35 Adult males. Pendleton County alone took 38 youth participants, 5 adult volunteers, and 2 Junior Counselors. This year we had 12 new campers from 4th and 5th grades. All year long the 4-H Agent goes into each 4th and 5th grade to promote all things 4-H along with teaching about nutrit
Author: Rhonda Jewell
Cloverbud Camp is a chance for youth ages 5-8 to have an opportunity to experience 4-H Camp but in a more secure setting than traditional 4-H Camp. Cloverbuds are afforded the same experiences as campers, but at Cloverbud Camp parents or guardians are required to attend with campers. This is a win/win situation because it allows the child the security of knowing that mom, dad or even their grandparent is close by and it also provides an opportunity for very special bonding time between campers a
Author: Rebecca Stahler
Matti, a Boyd County 4-H member turned 9 years old May 10, 2014 and then left for 4-H Camp 21 days later. After that first camp week, she said that one day she would be on 4-H Camp Staff. Fast forward, to May 2023, Matti was hired as 4-H Camp Staff with the University of Kentucky camping staff.The vision of Kentucky 4-H Camping is to serve the citizens of Kentucky and beyond by providing a safe environment for experiential learning opportunities. The mission of Kentucky 4-H Camping
Author: Catherine Weaver
4-H Camp has a long-standing tradition of teaching youth the 4 elements of the circle of courage in a concentrated week. Belonging, Independence, Mastery, and Generosity are seen in every activity at camp. In a full capacity return from covid, Jessamine County had 362 total people attend camp, the second highest number on record. Of those, 129 youth were first time campers, which is a much larger number than previous years. Jessamine County had 155 youth return to camp which is an in
Author: Kimberly Lane
4-H Camping program has always been valued in Morgan County, but this years Camping group was put to the test to reach a higher capacity along with an increase in cost. Financially, a lot of families can not afford to send their youth to camp, especially more than one sibling. However, Morgan County 4-H Council and District Board accepted the challenge to help our families. District board provided scholarships for each camper and the 4-H Council fundraised and secured spo
Author: Staci Thrasher
A typical 5-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 96 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors. That’s the equivalent of a family sitting down at the dinner table for 30-minutes, 192 days of the year. The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting is so important to youth. The time we spend with youth in the camp setting offers opportunities for those youth to feel a sense of belonging, to have meaningful conversations wit
Author: Kelly Woods
Oldham County 4-H continues to break camp enrollment records with the number of campers, recruitment of new leaders and growth in club participation. In June 2023, 317 campers, 26 teen leaders and 55 adult leaders all experienced the MAGIC of camp. Camp enrollment included 50% of returning campers and 50 % were first time campers, with 79% of campers who were 4-H Club members this past year. Club members attended camp because of their participation in one of the 11 community clubs, 10 project cl
Author: Julie Brown
A typical 5-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 96 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors. That’s the equivalent of a family sitting down at the dinner table for 30-minutes, 192 days of the year. The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting is so important to youth. The time we spend with youth in the camp setting offers opport
Author: Maelyn Dotson
The mission of Kentucky 4-H Camping is to improve people through intentional life skill development. A typical 4-day 4-H camp session offers upwards of 70 hours of direct, uninterrupted contact between youth and their cabin leaders/counselors. Interactions that are offered in a residential camp/group living situation are so impactful for youth. For some youth, camp is the one place where they have a sense of belonging and is the one setting in which they feel like thrive in. Not only does 4-H ca
Author: Brian Good
Each summer, youth across the state of Kentucky participate in overnight camping experiences at one of four 4-H Camp sites throughout the Commonwealth. 4-H Camp provides opportunities for youth to get out of their comfort zones, try activities they have never attempted, increase skills they already have and make meaningful, lifelong friends. Bell County recently participated in four day session at JM Feltner Memorial 4-H Camp in London, KY. While there, youth participated in fishing, swimming, a
Author: Dianna Reed
The Johnson County CEC and Adult 4-H Council identified Youth Life Skill Development as a program priority in the 4 year Plan of Work. To address this need, the 4-H Agent, Extension personnel, 4-H Council, local School FRC's, local businesses and volunteers worked together to secure funding for 4-H Camp Scholarships, provide volunteer training, and recruit youth to attend 4-H Camp. The Johnson County Adult 4-H Council conducted an annual fundraiser which enabled them to offer each child that
Author: Paula Jerrell
Records were broken, fun was had and everyone learned something new! Yes, Ballard County took 66 camper to camp this year. That's a new record (previous was 59 in 2012). We also had 15 wonderful counselors that made our kids a priority. One of our teams won the spirit stick and another was 2nd in Mega Relay. All brag worthy accomplishments! 100% of our youth reported learning something new. They all had a favorite class and several reported that they learned they could be themsel
Author: Julia Reid
This year at Madison County 4-H Camp the camp theme was time warp, and man did we have a rad time! Together with Scott Darst, the other 4-H Youth Development Agent, Casey Faulkner, and Nicik Lunsford, our two 4-H Program Assistants, we had a great team! That is not to say we did not have difficulties, as we did run into the general camp issues as homesickness, illnesses, and minor disciplinary issues. Throughout the week I was so glad to have the support of our team at camp. Even when Scot
Author: Bernita Cheirs
According to the U.S. Census the median household income in Fulton County is $33,567. The cost for one 4-Her to attend 4-H Summer Camp is $275 plus the cost of transportation. Many families in Fulton County do not have the resources to allow their children to attend 4-H Camp. Even if the cost of 4-H Camp was only $200, many families would find it difficult to come up with the extra money. It isn’t that 4-H Camp is too expensive. It costs less than many other camps, but the resources that o
