4-H Camp  - A Place to Belong

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, 196 days of the year.  The interactions offered in a residential camp/group living setting is so important to youth, especially considering the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 with caring adults, to practice generosity, group decision-making, they experience new activities they typically do not have access to at home, and they gain independence by taking on the responsibility in keeping track of their belongings and keeping to the camp schedule. 

A total of 131 campers, 14 teen leaders and 17 adults attended residential summer camp with Todd County 4-H.  The campers attend  4 classes for three days to master new skills in canoeing, rifle, cooking, wood working, sports, communications, drama, swimming, nature,  challenge courses and so much more.  An end of camp focus was conducted by the counselors with their cabin of campers.  The results were as follows:

100% said 4-H is a place with caring adults

85% felt 4-H camp was a place they could teach others what they learned.

80% said 4-H camp encouraged them to plan for their future

55% said 4-H camp gave them a chance to be a leader

94% said 4-H camp was a place they felt they belonged

99% said they learned a new skill while taking classes at 4-H camp. 

In addition,  Todd County 4-H provided 54 campers financial scholarships totaling over $5600.00 to attend summer 4-H camp.  Without these scholarships, these campers may not have been able to afford to attend summer 4-H Camp.

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 is to improve people through intentional life skill development.