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. This will happen through: • collaboration with local, state, and national partners, • research-based methods and programming, • service-oriented practices, • long-term strategic planning, • and play. 

One particular Daviess County 4-H’er was shy and very hesitant to try new things or go away from home.  She first experienced 4-H through programming at Girls, Incorporated, and her involvement progressed in small increments.  In high school, she joined the Daviess County 4-H Teen Board.  Although asked and encouraged by extension staff and her peers, she never wanted to attend 4-H Camp.  Finally in 2019, she signed up to attend 4-H Teen Retreat at West Kentucky 4-H Camp.  She was pretty convinced she would not like it and required much reassurance.  To her surprise, she had a wonderful time.  Her willingness to try new opportunities grew from there.  She had planned to attend 4-H Camp in 2020 as a teen volunteer in the summer of her junior year of high school.  In 2021 she attended 4-H Camp as an adult volunteer where she was a natural caregiver to the young girls she oversaw.  She also had a great time interacting with her peers.  This experience convinced her to apply for a job at 4-H Camp.  She was hired and worked there in 2022 and 2023.   In 2022, during Daviess County’s camp week, she handled a particularly difficult situation with a defiant and non-compliant camper very well and according to camp protocol.  In 2023, you could see the growth in her confidence as a 4-H Camp employee.  

Her stepdad recently shared how pleased he and her mother were that she got involved in 4-H.  They both worried what her future would hold when she was in middle and high school because she was extremely hesitant to try anything new.  They fully expected her to live with them even as an adult.  He said when she got involved in 4-H and started attending 4-H Camp she just blossomed, and her confidence soared.  They would never have guessed she would be willing to spend even a summer away from home, much less two.  His last update was that she was planning to move out of their house to another town not too far away and continue her college education.  He said he and his wife truly appreciate 4-H for helping her grow.  She is a testament that the vision and mission of 4-H camping are more than hopeful wishes - They are a reality.