Tawanah Reeves-Ligon, Dorchester County 4-H Agent
For many homeschool families, finding projects, curriculum, and social opportunities that have a meaningful impact and build skills as well as a love of learning in children can feel daunting, at best, and impossible, at its worst. However, there is a simple opportunity in your community that you may not be aware of can offer a solution to these concerns: 4-H!
4-H is the largest youth development program in the United States, offered through land-grant universities in all 50 states. The 4-H program focuses primarily on four key areas: Healthy Living, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Animals, and Civic Engagement. We also have a thriving STEM program in South Carolina 4-H. Our curriculum is peer-reviewed and often exceeds state standards in the subjects that we cover. Most 4-H curriculum can be downloaded from your local state or from the national 4-H website and administered independently. However, the treasure trove of 4-H happens by becoming a member and joining or forming a local club!
4-H clubs are volunteer-run with support from a local county agent and can cover a wide range of topics. The “learn by doing” motto is central to 4-H’s curriculum and club approach, providing practical, skill-based experiences that are ideal for complementing a homeschool education. Some clubs focus on raising and showing livestock, often developing the skills of participants raised in animal husbandry as well as introducing these skills to those who are encountering the trade for the first time. There are sewing and healthy living/eating clubs, shooting sports clubs, robotics clubs, and more. A club is only limited by the imagination of the youth and adult leaders participating.
A club in Dorchester County only needs two adults and five youth (ages 5-18) from at least three families to get started. 4-H membership requires an annual $15 fee for youth and adult volunteers, and anyone can register to participate in a club or as an individual at 4HOnline. Clubs can charge an annual fee to offset reasonable costs, and volunteers must submit to and pass a background check as well as complete training. New volunteers and families can also count on support from local 4-H agents and the South Carolina 4-H program team!
Are you new to homeschooling or have a homeschool community that could benefit from partnering with 4-H? Contact your local county office today! For Dorchester residents, the office is located at 201 Johnston Street, St. George, SC 29477 and is open from 9am-3pm Monday through Thursday (closed 12p-1p for lunch). Your Dorchester 4-H Youth Development Agent is Tawanah Reeves-Ligon, and she can be reached at tawanar@clemson.edu or via call/text at 864-784-0516.
