4-H Ca

4-H Camp provides the opportunity for youth to experience time away from home, meet new people, and learn life skills. The youth attending 4-H Camp participate in activities that focus on teamwork, physical activity, and personal development.

4-H Camp is one of the most popular 4-H activities in Casey County, with youth asking about camp all year long. To keep youth and their parents well-informed, 4-H Camp dates are publicized as soon as they are set and Save the Dates are mailed to individuals who expressed interest in 4-H Camp on their 4-H Enrollment Form. The dates are included in the Casey County 4-H monthly newsletter and are discussed with youth during club meetings and other 4-H activities. To better promote 4-H Camp, four older campers who have attended camp for the past several years spoke with over 200 students about 4-H Camp and taught 4-H songs and dances.

Casey County 4-H Volunteers expressed interest in providing an overnight opportunity for youth to get a taste of 4-H Camp to use as a recruitment tool. Along with Casey County 4-H Camp Volunteers (teens and adults), a 4-H Camp Lock-In was planned titled 4-H Camp-a-Palooza. The entire schedule was planned and carried out by the 4-H Camp teens and adults. Camper attendees were first-time campers as well as returning campers. Teens taught camp songs, dances and getting quiet call & response and performed traditional camp skits. The campers were divided up into teams for team building and meal line-ups and participated in various classes (painting, arts & crafts, dodge ball, and group games). A State 4-H Officer visited and spoke with the campers and teens about future opportunities in 4-H and facilitated a fun and interactive activity with them.

To assist with 4-H Camp promotion, Casey County youth and adults planned a 4-H Camp-a-Palooza, a 4-H Camp lock-in. The event was held at a church’s youth center and lasted from a Friday evening to a Saturday morning. Led by 4-H teens, the camper participants learned 4-H songs and dances, signed up and participated in various camp classes (painting, arts & crafts, dodge ball, and group games), Sallied Down-the-Alley, watched skits and movies, and learned all about 4-H Camp. A State 4-H Officer came and spoke to the participants about further opportunities in 4-H and led an interactive activity. At the conclusion of the program, all attendees were given an 4-H Camp application along with a 4-H Camp-a-Palooza t-shirt. A total of 34 youth, teens and adults attended this first-ever overnight camp promotion – 15 returning campers/volunteers; 10 new campers who attended camp the 2019 Summer.

Casey County also participated in a Quad County Sally (Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Pulaski) for campers, teens and adults to meet, learn line dances, and participate in Sally Down the Alley.

The Casey County leader (Counselors-In-Training, Teen & Adult Leaders) training was held at the Casey County Extension Education Building. Leaders were divided into their cabins and were assigned to learn specific modules and teach the rest of the group. Through hands-on teaching and learning opportunities, the leaders were better prepared to be 4-H Camp leaders. After lunch, the group enjoyed indoor s’mores and popcorn while watching a camp movie.

With excess funds from the previous year, Casey County provided a $40 discount to the $225 4-H Camp fee for two weeks available to all campers, CITs, and Teen Leaders. From the in-kind donations from several Casey County community organizations and sponsorships from the Youth Services Center and West Family Resource Center, almost $7500 was provided to cover camp fees and supplies for the Casey County camping group. While at camp, the scholarship recipients write thank you notes to the sponsors, thanking them for the financial assistance and telling their sponsor a little bit about their 4-H Camp experience. After returning from camp, these notes are mailed to the sponsors along with a group picture of the campers.

Through increase in promotion and financial donations, Casey County reached a new record of attendance with a total of 79 campers/teens/adults, 47 of which were first-time campers.