Fernley Mayor Neal McIntyre and the Lyon County Commission each issued proclamations last week recognizing Oct. 5-11 as National 4-H week.
The proclamations read in both the Oct. 1 Fernley City Council meeting and the Oct. 2 County Commission meeting highlight this year’s theme, “Beyond Ready,” emphasizing how 4-H equips six million youth nationwide with skills for the future through experiential learning. Delivered by the Cooperative Extension System, 4-H fosters leadership, science, agriculture, and community engagement, helping young people grow into successful, independent adults.
Monday, Oct. 6 was “Go GREEN Day.” where 4-H youth, volunteers and staff are encouraged to wear green as a kick-off to the new 4-H year and to National 4-H Week.
Lindsay Chichester, Nevada 4-H Leader with the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, said 4-H activities have evolved significantly from the organization’s rural roots over 100 years ago.
“Today’s 4-H clubs and activities go beyond raising animals and other traditional activities that many may think of, although those clubs are still a valuable part of our offerings,” Chichester said. “Our kids are also doing hands-on activities to learn about things like robotics, self-defense, sign language, creative writing and even hot air ballooning. 4-H has become the largest youth development organization in the country because we’ve adapted to include a variety of activities to reach youth in both urban and rural communities. But, what’s consistent across all our activities is that they aim to equip young people with the skills, confidence and resilience needed for career-readiness and to provide leadership and service in their communities and beyond as adults.”
During National 4-H Week, and throughout the month, Chichester and her statewide 4-H team are encouraging youth and parents who may be interested in learning more about 4-H to get involved by attending a local 4-H activity or by reaching out to their local county 4-H office for more information.
In many Nevada communities, youth activities can be scarce or costly, Chichester said, and 4-H engages with the partners and volunteers in the community to address that.
“4-H strives to provide free or very affordable, unique and meaningful educational experiences to engage Nevada youth across the state, from those tucked away in our most rural areas to those in heavily populated urban centers,” she said.
Some of this year’s highlights include 4-H youth learning about wild mustangs and land management at a Mustang Camp; learning about civic engagement by providing Christmas tree ornaments for a Nevada-grown tree that will be displayed as the 2025 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., and learning about what it takes to get a pizza on their plate by growing and producing their own ingredients – even grinding their own grain to make flour.
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