STILL GOING STRONG

4-H teaches today’s youth old and new lessons

Story by JOHN CLAYTON

Metcalfe County High School sophomore Claudia Bell has found herself on stages all over the area as a performer with a variety of organizations. For the past two years, that ever-growing list has included the Kentucky 4-H Performing Arts Troupe and Leadership Board.

A Performing Arts Troupe is perhaps an unusual departure for a national organization with its roots steeped for decades in agriculture, but it’s part of a new generation of 4-H activities that aim to draw more youth to the organization.

“When people think of 4-H, they think of livestock and boots and jeans — stuff like that,” Bell says. “That’s a big part of 4-H, but I also think it has expanded so much with the Performing Arts Troupe and some of the other activities that go on, like 4-H camp. I think 4-H is a leadership-based program, so it’s not all about livestock. It’s about practicing your leadership skills and being able to go out and be a leader and work on teamwork and having a strong work ethic.”

The Performing Arts Troupe is a statewide part of Kentucky 4-H that culminates each year with performances at the Kentucky State Fair, 4-H Summit, 4-H Teen Conference and Kentucky Volunteer Forum, among others.

Bell has been involved in 4-H as long as she can recall. Her father works with Metcalfe County’s Kentucky Extension Service, which partners with 4-H. The family has long had show goats and has been involved in the statewide country ham competition, a ham curing contest. But when she was in the eighth grade, Bell tried out and made the Performing Troupe roster for her freshman year of high school. “It’s a really great experience, and I just love sharing my talent with all those other people that have the same talent and passion as me,” she says.

CLUBS IN THE CLUB

All across Kentucky, 4-H clubs operate under the auspices of county extension offices and the University of Kentucky. Students can join 4-H beginning in the third grade. Many counties also offer a program called Cloverbuds for younger children, ages 5 to 8, so there’s a little something for everyone from kindergartners to high school seniors in Metcalfe, Hart and Barren counties. In Metcalfe County, around 1,600 children and youth are involved.

Each county has a long list of options that include more traditional 4-H fare, like an equestrian club, along with archery and shooting sports. The local 4-H clubs also try to fill in school system gaps with clubs that emphasize 21st-century learning in subjects like robotics and rocketry. “We have our leadership programs, and one of the big things we do is science, engineering and technology. We call it SET in the school system,” says Amy Branstetter, Metcalfe County extension agent for 4-H youth development.

Branstetter works with public, private and home-school students, introducing them to all things 4-H. The communications program is the most popular club in Metcalfe County, though some opt for the more traditional 4-H route with livestock and horticulture. Each club has at least one certified volunteer teacher who works with the 4-H members.

From horseback riding to building small-scale robots to cleaning up a hypothetical beach spill to sewing on a button, most of the students get hands-on experience through their 4-H-sponsored clubs. “I had one of my Cloverbud moms send me a picture of her 5-year-old daughter,” Branstetter says. “She allowed her to sit at the kitchen table and sew on her button, and that mom said it had been amazing for hand coordination and for her daughter to master and complete something. That’s what we’re trying to do. We try to touch all ages.”

REACHING OUT

4-H Metcalfe County extension agent Amy Branstetter holds one of the Go-bags members created for students during the pandemic.

During a school year interrupted, Branstetter and her colleagues across the state have moved into the virtual realm to keep in touch with members and introduce the club to new audiences.

Branstetter began hosting two virtual clubs this past year — one locally and one for the entire state called “Udderly Amazing Adventures,” which, of course, involves dairy cattle. “We’ve been able to reach some youth in Lexington and other areas, and some of them really didn’t know where milk came from,” she says. “We kind of went into feeding the animals and doing those types of things.

“Doing things virtually has been a big challenge for me because I do like people being in front of me, but we decided to kind of step back and look at a different way of teaching right now,” Branstetter says. “I think everybody in education has had to do that over the past year.”

Virtual learning has allowed the statewide 4-H program to reach more students in urban and suburban areas who may not be as familiar with the club as are rural students in places like Hiseville, Horse Cave and Edmonton.

The online efforts have given these students a new experience with dairy cattle, a subject that has long been synonymous with 4-H. “They don’t get the smell and all that kind of stuff, but they can see the cows and see them coming in and out of the parlors,” Branstetter says. “There are just different aspects, and I think it’s really neat.”

Claudia Bell, left, sang during the Kentucky 4-H Performing Arts Troupe. She is with Amy Branstetter, county extension agent.