How is 4-H Different in Johnson County?
This past month I had the privilege to speak to a 4th and 5th grade classroom about Johnson County 4-H for their History, Civics, and Leadership Unit. One of the things their teachers asked me to highlight was how does Johnson County 4-H look differently than the rest of Kansas? With the majority of the population being in our county, this is an excellent question.
There are many youth that participate in the “traditional” projects such as baking, sewing, and livestock; in addition to having a popular Shooting Sports program that draws youth from less populous counties. In this way we may not seem too much different from the rest of the state.
Our biggest difference in Johnson County is size: We have so many people that are involved, that want to be involved, or that could benefit from participating in 4-H, that we have to grow with purpose.
One of the ways that we are doing this is by adding to our 4-H team! This month we will be hiring an additional 4-H Agent that will add additional capacity to our team. This 4-H Agent position will allow for an opportunity to cultivate important resources for community clubs, project leaders, and strengthen community outreach.
In addition, we are creating budding relationships with our own Extension Master Gardeners and Extension Master Naturalists to utilize their incredible expertise to assist 4-H’ers in their projects throughout the year.
In short, 4-H in Johnson County is a constantly changing and growing program, building off of all the work that has been done before.