Author: Dana Anderson
Planning Unit: Mercer County CES
Major Program: 4-H Youth Development Programming
Plan of Work: Acquisition of Life Skills
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Latino Day Camp was held for two full days, which allowed the kids to enjoy hands-on activities which included, tie-dye, crafts, and cooking. The instructors for the day camp were the County Cooperative Extension Staff and two 4-H teen club members. This day camp gave Latino youth a sense of what extension offices offer, but especially what 4-H is and what it does. The targeted audience for the day camp was Latino youth from Mercer and Boyle County. The Latino Outreach 4-H Day Camp was developed by the Mercer County summer intern, Izamar De La Luz. The day camp fliers were developed in Spanish and shared through churches, social media, and local restaurants.
The youth attending were a new audience specifically for Extension and 4-H. On the last day, all the kids wished that the camp was a whole week and not two days. Everyone said that they had tried something new, especially when it came to the kids trying vegetables for the first time. Our goals are to get more diverse youth to attend 4-H clubs and activities. As for the Extension Staff, we have a greater understanding of how to connect with the Latino community. The impact of the Mercer County Extension Office was amazing on the kids. Many of the youth had personal first moments in which they tried a new food or learned something about plants. We were able to include all Extension Program Areas in the two-day camp. Agents and support staff present helped in some way and weren’t hesitant to ask if we needed help planning the day camp.
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