To say 2020 has been a “different” kind of year, would be a major understatement!   What hasn’t changed is the need to provide the youth of Marshall County positive and constructive opportunities to develop leadership, communication, and life skills!

In response to the worldwide pandemic, Marshall County 4-H Youth Development programs moved to virtual opportunities wherever possible.  During the Summer of 2020, Project Kits were provided for over 50 youth who independently worked on projects ranging from creative arts to natural resources to healthy cooking to preparing for back-to-school.  

For the 2020-2021 school year, the Afterschool 4-H Clubs were combined into a county wide virtual club with members from not only the six Marshall County Elementary Schools but a member from NCCA as well.  The County 4-H Teen Club combined with North and South Middle School Clubs to provide leadership and mentoring for the Elementary 4-Hers.  The 4-H Teen-Middle Virtual Club not only had returning members, but two who were brand new to Marshall County club programs.

Marshall County 4-HYD Agent and Extension Program Assistant also provided short term virtual programming such as STEM Club Sessions, 16^th Annual Holiday Workshop, and a 4-H STEM Family Day revolving around Mars Base Camp Challenge.  4-H Specialist for SET partnered with the Marshall 4-HYD Agent to conduct the STEM Family Day.  Four 4-H Virtual Cloverbud Fun Sessions were held for four weeks providing introduction to the Core Kentucky 4-H Curriculums to K-3 participants.  This group is excited to continue Cloverbud 4-H Club this coming fall.  

Several Marshall County 4-Hers actively participated in the Kentucky 4-H Statewide offerings such as posSTEMbilities, Cooking with Chef T, Bake-A-Long, Winter Naturalists, and Ukulele. Two middle school 4-Hers participated in the first ever Virtual 4-H Summit with one of the same 4-Hers completing Leadership Boot Camp.  One of these 4-Hers had not participated in 4-H prior to the 2020-21 school year.

The Marshall 4-HYD Agent partnered with the McCracken County 4-HYD Agent to conduct a 4-H Health Rocks! session for Scouts.  This session provided the lessons/information on substance use disorders and education about wise decision making.  The Scouts were able to use the credit for one of their badge levels.

After discussion with the 4-Hers, the Marshall County 4-HYD Agent and Extension Program Assistant are taking a “different path” for the Afterschool 4-H Clubs in the 2021-22 school year.  Plans are to hold in-person meetings at the schools once a month, then do county combined meetings of the elementary groups (where appropriate) and the Teen Club and Middle Schools the other months.  This will allow for some scheduling opportunities as well as help those groups who do not quite meet enrollment numbers/attendance to maintain in-person meetings.  The same format will be used for a county-wide Cloverbud 4-H Club.  The 4-Hers felt this would be a great way to still get to do 4-H and meet others from schools they might not otherwise get to interact with.

Virtual programming has its challenges.  But those challenges are being embraced by Marshall County 4-H to open a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities.