By Matthew Anderson
As we move through the holidays from Thanksgiving toward Christmas and the New Year, we get excited about being together, working together, giving to others, and receiving.
As a kid and youth, holidays, especially Christmas, were magical and exciting. This was a time to spend with friends and family, admire the decorations and lights, and savor homemade food and treats. It felt as if time was moving in slow motion, watching the snow fall, Christmas lights, and a slow-burning fire in the fireplace.
The holidays are a special time for us to think of others as well. We can put aside our differences and spread the Christmas magic to our community. One of the exciting aspects of 4-H is the purpose and pledge, “Head, Heart, Hands, and Health,” which reinforces 4-H’s goals. The Hands component is “… for greater service …” The pledge ends with “… for my club, my community, my country and my world.”
This season, our clubs have been working on community service projects, such as making horse treats for rescue animals and collecting food for the food bank. Some of our 4-H members created ornaments for the UAF Cooperative Extension Service Christmas tree, on display at the Noel Wien Library in Fairbanks. These ornaments represent various 4-H projects the kids participate in throughout the year.
Also, during the holidays, 4-H starts to ramp up with some exciting projects, especially for our youth who plan to raise livestock. The youths are starting to collect their animals for next year’s fair and auction over the next few months.
Some of our other youths are starting to prepare for the Youth in Governance program, which focuses on government procedures and processes. These youths will travel to Juneau in February to meet and participate in the legislative process. Part of the project is creating their own bill to go through the process.
These projects help teach youths about record-keeping, proper livestock care, food safety, tool and equipment safety, public speaking, leadership, public service, and science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM). These youths work hard throughout the year on their projects, learning new skills, relationships, and leadership.
To learn more about 4-H, contact Matthew Anderson, Tanana District 4-H program coordinator, UAF Cooperative Extension Service, at 907-474-2427 or mranderson@alaska.edu. You can also visit https://www.uaf.edu/tanana4h.
