Iron County 4-H looking for new members

By RICHARD JENKINS

rjenkins@yourdailyglobe.com

Hurley — Iron County’s 4-H program is looking for both new members and adults who can help teach important life skills to members, according to Neil Klemme, the youth development agent with the University of Wisconsin’s Iron County Extension Office.

4-H-related activities are open to students as young as those in kindergarten, according to Klemme, with regular 4-H activities beginning in third grade and running through the freshman year of college.

Klemme hopes those who join 4-H gain a number of things from the experience, including a sense of belonging while also feeling independent.

“What I got out of 4-H was belong to a group of people, a club. Which is one of the thing kids need, to feel like they belong to something. I was a ‘willing worker,’ that was my 4-H club. That was something that stuck with me, we were a group that did community service projects together, we played softball in the softball league against the other 4-H clubs. When we were at the fair, all of our stuff was together,” Klemme said.

“Another thing that I got and that I think kids get out of 4-H is that sense of independence. They get away from their parents for a little bit, they get to do things on their own,” Klemme said, adding that, while adults supervise activities, the kids are supposed to actually run the organization.

“It’s theirs. It’s a youth development organization, you know, the young people have an active role in everything.”

He also said that kids get to learn a variety of new things, using different learning styles.

“(4-H is) really good for kids that, maybe, learn a different way. You get to get your hands dirty, you get to play in the garden, you get to feed your animals and take care of that stuff, you get to pick up the Legos and build the robots,” Klemme said. “It’s really hands-on stuff, it’s not just reading out of a book or listening to someone talk, it’s getting in there and doing.”

He also stressed that while the common conception of 4-H was centered around taking care of farm animals, it wasn’t a requirement.

“You do not have to have an animal to be in 4-H. 4-H has thousands of projects kids can participate in ... 4-H has projects and opportunities for whatever a kid is interested in,” he said.

In addition to recruiting new members, Klemme is also working on developing several new clubs in the county, including one in the Mercer area.

“If there’s anybody in the Mercer area who was in 4-H as a kid and has ever wondered about starting a club, I’d be happy to talk to anybody to get a club started there.”

The push to develop a club in Mercer is just part of Klemme’s goal to spread 4-H around the county so it has a presence in most communities.

“I’d love to see a club in Montreal, I’d love to see a club in Iron Belt, in Pence. Get a club in each community ... I know there are some 4-H alumni that live in that area, so I would love to work with them to get a club started. They can contact me at any time.”

Along with starting clubs in new areas, at least one themed-club — centered around horses — is also being developed, according to Klemme.

Klemme said he is looking for community members with skills they are interested in passing on to the next generation.

“If anyone in the community has some skill they’d be willing to teach a kid, you know, they should give me a call,” Klemme said. “They don’t have to work with every kid. ... That’s what I’m looking for, people with special skills that can help me teach and pass those skills on to young people.”

One specific skill Klemme would like to see taught is woodworking, and while he is planning on establishing a club and teaching the basics, he hopes there are more skilled woodworkers in the community who want to get involved.

“If there is somebody that is good with woodworking and is interested in teaching young people about woodworking and carpentry, that’s a project that is pretty big in the state and we don’t have any woodworking projects, but I would love to see it,” Klemme said. “You go to some fairs and see kids who have built dressers, and gun cabinets, and just immaculate projects ... there’s got to be someone in this community who has the skills and the tools and would like to teach some young people how to do that.”

The idea of teaching skills on to kids is central to the 4-H philosophy, Klemme explained, and enable the participants to learn greater life skills as well.

“4-H is very much adults passing on wisdom and skills to young people and then young people then stepping up and taking on leadership (roles),” he said.

“Projects are just the tools that we use to teach kids life skills like communication, critical thinking and problem solving,” Klemme continued. “You can use these projects to teach so many things ... that’s what 4-H is really about, those life skills and youth development.”

While 4-H can be joined year-round, Klemme said this was the best time of year to join so that kids can have the entire year to work on their projects. This is also the time of year he submits the charters for the five existing clubs in the county.

4-H can also be joined when kids are older, according to Klemme, and while there is some concern about the time conflict with sports, he knows from personal experience both are possible. In fact, meetings usually only occur once a month if not less frequently.

That said, he believes that the more effort put into the organization, the more kids will benefit. Benefits include the intangible life skills 4-H participants develop, and also the opportunities to earn scholarships and go on trips through the organization.

Klemme plans to have a booth at the Hurley homecoming game Friday with games and prizes, as well as information about the organization.

He hopes both kids and parents stop by and visit him.

“I know there are people in our community that were in 4-H as kids and had a good time, I’d like to get some of those people involved,” he said.

Last year 84 kids enrolled in 4-H, according to Klemme, with around 28 adult leaders.

For more information on 4-H, contact Klemme at 715-561-2695.