Through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Nelson County 4-H Youth Development made efforts to deliver 4-H Camp programming. 4-H Youth Development Agents fund-raised, assembled, and advertise kits over the local radio stations, on Facebook, and through mailers. 300 “At Home 4-H Camp” kits were marketed, firstly, to campers that were registered for 2020 as well as to campers from 2019, through a mailed “At Home 4-H Camp Schedule,” which included information about how to pick up a kit. The kits were then available for pick-up to the public on a first come, first serve basis. New audiences were reached because the kits had no associated costs for participants. 40-50 of the kits were distributed through the Farmer’s Market, which also opened camp up for new audiences. These kits included 3 days of activity materials, instructions, and an activity schedule. The kit materials were accompanied by Facebook posts with additional content for visual learners and evening activities. Facebook posts were able to reach campers, adults, and teens. Adults from previous years shared memories and spoke of returning to camp as a volunteer, as a result of the posts.  

The 4-H Youth Development Agent was able to evaluate this program through feedback from a survey evaluation and through observation of completed projects. Some of the feedback received from this program includes the following quotes: 

"It meant I was still able to have some fun 4-H camp activities at home. Even though camp can’t be replaced for all the experiences it was nice to still have some memorable activities to do at home. Thank you very much for putting these activities together for me to do at home." -Cara Bella 

"It provided fun activities that strengthened our bond as a family. The activities were physically and mentally stimulating. Nina is a social butterfly, who has struggled emotionally with quarantine. She was devastated to hear that camp was cancelled. This week really put the pep back in her step and gave her something to look forward to."

"For Olivia, camp is freedom from her anxiety disorder. She doesn’t have time to think too much and is able to enjoy being a kid. 4-H camp at home meant that she was able to tap into the emotions she feels at camp here at home this week. She had activities to look forward to each day."