4-H emphasizes youth development in areas of healthy living, citizenship, STEM, agriculture, and many others.  According to Mark Mains, previous Assistant Director of 4-H Youth Development, “For many youth in Kentucky, 4-H Camp is their first exposure to all that 4-H Youth Development can offer.”  Attending camp, for some youth, is their first-time away from home, and allows them to explore all the various facets of 4-H Youth Development.  Because we know that 4-H camp helps build citizenship skills, as well as interest and skills in areas such as swimming, archery, arts, and the like, it is important to allow as many as possible youth to attend camp and have such exposure to 4-H programming.  Additionally, a typical 4-day 4-H Camp session offers upwards of 80 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, 160 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.  

For the 2022 camping season Henderson County recruited, organized, and attended 4-H camp with 195 youth, 14 teen counselors, 25 adult counselors, and 1 extension agent. Growing from the last true pre-covid camping season of 157 camp attendees. As well as growing over 650% from the 2015 camping season. 

Over 50% of the camp counselors (19/39) were previous campers since 2015. Over the past few years, it has been amazing to see previous campers grow their leadership skills and want to step up and being a counselor for new campers. Many of our teens and adult counselors credit camp as one of the programs that have helped them grow into a leader in our community and acknowledge the value of camp give to our younger generation and want to help give them that positive experience. One counselor said, “4-H camp has taught me leadership, commitment, hard work, dedication, respect, responsibility and the list goes on and on.” 

Several campers and parents inquired throughout the week and at the end of the camp week how they could get involved in 4-H back in Henderson County and several of our 4-H Camp campers have gotten involved in 4-H for the first time since 4-H Camp. 

Henderson County 4-H knows value camp can provide youth and has shared that with the community. The positive environment and opportunities camp provides is well-known which is why this past year 90% of the camper spots were filled up within the first hours of when sign-ups started. Attending 4-H Camp, is important so that youth can learn more about the 4-H organization and grow to be more independent community citizens.  Exposure to positive influences and positive experiences is essential to shape positive youth.  This summer, Henderson County youth had the experience of such exposure, which, in return, will last them a lifetime.