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  4-H
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4-H and Youth Development

Nearly 3,700 children in Kankakee participated in programming from Extension. Some of those programs included embryology, nutrition andconsumer economics.

Kankakee’s 20 4-H clubs provided 438 youth members with opportunities for leadership development, service learning and experiential project learning. The youth were led by 107 adult volunteers with experience ranging between one and 45 years.

Almost 1,900 projects were exhibited by 4-H clubs at judging opportunities and the county fair. Seventy-three delegates and 116 alternate projects were selected for the Illinois State Fair.

Kankakee County 4-H served 120 young people in Camp Clover, day camps for children ages 8-12 years old, at five sites during June and July. The sites included Kankakee Community Resource Center, Kankakee YWCA, and Lisieux Pastoral Center in Kankakee. An expanded program for teenagers was held in Sun River Terrace and Pembroke in conjunction with the camp program. This marked 15 years of summer programming in the Pembroke area.

Natural Resources Day reached 123 students. The full day event held at Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see featured 8 stations with interactive workshops on water, weather, animals and plants.

4-H Officers Training involved 48 youth from across the county. They learned about the roles of 4-H Club Officers and explored communication and conflict resolution.

“From Egg to Chick” embryology training served 8 new teachers and 479 students in 23 classrooms participated in the fascinating study of embryonic development. Extension provided fertile eggs and materials for the classrooms.

High school youth members benefitted from experience in the Kankakee County 4-H Federation. Extra opportunities to learn leadership and practice volunteerism were part of their regular visits to Chamness Square, a facility for mentally and physically challenged adults. They also maintained a donation collection program for Ronald McDonald House. In all, nearly 1600 service hours were provided to answer questions, teach programs and do community service projects.