Alana West has been the 4-H Youth Development Agent in Newberry County for almost 11 years, having returned to her hometown after serving in the same role in Cherokee County for 4 years. The Newberry County 4-H Program has been successful with in-school enrichment, as well as workshops, independent projects, and clubs covering the topics 4-H offers: agriculture, natural resources, STEM, healthy lifestyles, and leadership. Prior to COVID, Newberry County 4-H was reaching over 30% of 4-H aged youth within the county.
As the ‘senior’ 4-H Agent in the Midlands, by years of service and not age, Alana works to make the job easier on other 4-H Agents in the region. By offering a holiday workday and lunch at her house during the Christmas season, establishing an email distribution list for these ten agents, working on regional or multi-county projects as a team, and other inclusive endeavors, a feeling of comradery has been established. Not only does the Midlands 4-H Region boast higher participation levels and completion rates within 4-H opportunities than other regions within the state, but they have won multiple awards for their programs through professional associations such as SCACAA, SCAE4HA, NACAA, and NAE4HYDP. In response, their working relationships and successes have not gone unnoticed.
Alana hopes that the recently released SC 4-H Strategic Plan, which includes four Regional 4-H Agents that would serve as mentors to the agents within the respective region, will serve as a catalyst for similar relationships and success within all 4-H regions of South Carolina, eventually boosting morale and accomplishments.
