Spartanburg County 4-H had to get creative this past year to reach youth in safe and engaging ways. 4-H included two new virtual clubs, seasonal 4-H activity kits, school embryology, gardening, Spartanburg Boys and Girls Club visits, and summer cooking workshops. We also had 4-H members participating in statewide projects, summer camp, and leadership programs throughout the year.
In September 2020, we launched two new virtual 4-H clubs focusing on Healthy Lifestyles and Sewing. Members in the Healthy Lifestyles Club cooked dinner for their families twice a month while learning new skills in the kitchen. They also participated in the State 4-H Healthy Lifestyles Monthly Video Contest and Skill-A-Thon. The Golden Needles Sewing Club started from the beginning learning how to thread a needle. It progressed to using a sewing machine and making stuffed animals for family, friends and donating to local children’s hospital patients. Members from both clubs learned life skills like public speaking, record keeping, community service, and mentorship of younger members.
Because of the limitations on meeting in person, Spartanburg 4-H offered activity kits for families to pick up and do at home. We allowed families to borrow incubators throughout the year, which resulted in 58 families hatching chickens at home to add to their backyard flocks. In November, we also offered a thankfulness kit to encourage youth to participate in family activities over the holidays by contributing a side dish at Thanksgiving dinner. We also provided a Winter Break, Exploring 4-H, Pollinators Kit, Gardening, and Butterfly Kits throughout 2021. Ninety-five families took advantage of these 4-H kits from September 2020-June 2021.
Although our regular school programs take place, year-round school visitation policies prevented typical classroom visits. However, our school partners still wanted to offer chicken embryology to their students. We were able to loan out incubators and provide fertile chicken eggs to 58 classes this spring, resulting in almost 500 chickens being hatched in classrooms and raised locally in Spartanburg County. Some birds being part of the State 4-H Laying Flock Project. We also had twelve school gardens participate in seasonal transplants and classroom gardening activities.
Each year, Spartanburg 4-H’s most significant outreach efforts are having recurring lessons at the Boys and Girls Club After School and Summer Sites. These programs focus on teaching youth in 2nd -5th grades about STEM and Healthy Lifestyles. 4-H provided nearly 170 hours of programming to youth at six school sites and four summer sites in Spartanburg County. This program also offered two college interns employment throughout the school year and summer. This school year, this program is looking to expand for the 4th year, adding new after-school sites and reaching more youth throughout the county.
As COVID-19 number began to drop this summer, we offered a summer workshop series every Wednesday in July. Youth participants came to the Spartanburg Extension office. They learned new cooking skills while preparing lunch with Interns Eva and Taylor, part of the State Healthy Lifestyles Walmart Grant to teach youth about making healthy choices and preparing food for their families.
One final staple of 4-H involvement has always been individual projects, summer camp, and leadership activities. Although our numbers were slightly down from the previous year’s participation, members still took advantage of poultry, beef, swine, goat, bees, small garden, food plot, and healthy living projects. In June and July, we also had 4-H members attend both 4-H camps Bob Cooper and Camp Long, finishing out the year with two young leaders attending the Pinckney Leadership Camp Program.
We look forward to all the 4-H activities and projects 2021-2022 have to offer to the youth and families in Spartanburg County. At least two county clubs regularly meet this coming year, including a horse and home school 4-H group.
