4-H Team Challenge
 

The Kentucky 4-H Core curriculum is used to develop workforce skills that include leadership, teamwork and communication that are important to their career ready development. Young people, whether pursuing a career-path in entrepreneurial ventures or seeking employment opportunities in the future need to build core competencies and foundation skills, which include those identified in the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report. Agents and staff from Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, Ohio, and Webster counties collaborated to plan, coordinate, and implement a 4-H Team Challenge Camp to aid in developing youth in the following core competencies.

1. Develop self confidence in their leadership potential and sense of identity.
2. Improve self-esteem
3. Enhance communication skills in sharing, reflecting and discussion
4. Understand importance of diversity and improve ability to relate to others
5. Learn effective decision-making methods and experience problem solving situations
6. Learn group social skills

The 2024 Green River TLA 4-H Team Challenge and Middle School Team Challenge camps involved twenty-five youth with the purpose of developing their individual and team leadership skills. Youth were divided into teams and worked together to complete eight challenges that were based on the Kentucky 4-H Core Curriculum: Agriculture, Communications, Family and Consumer Science, Healthy Living, Leadership, Natural Resources, Science Engineering and Technology that challenged participants both physically and mentally. A 4-H Teen Leadership Academy graduate was assigned to each team, to aid, if the team encountered any problems or difficulties during the team challenge and ensure participant safety.

Teams worked as a group to complete challenges and worked as a team to prepare a healthy meal. Surveys revealed the most valuable lessons learned during the event were the value of both verbal and non-verbal communications skills, teamwork, and leadership. Participants quickly realized how important it was to overcome that barrier of working with a diverse group to be successful as a team. Participants also commented on the amount of physical activity that was involved with the event and realized how much physical activity they were lacking in their daily routines.

The 4-H Team Challenge encouraged youth to create team spirit, build self-reliance skills and enhance self-esteem while developing new friendships with peers and adults. Youth who participate in leadership development experiences, are exposed to a variety of opportunities for personal development.