County Press Releases

October 7-13 is National 4-H Week, and Central Sierra 4-H is celebrating the 4-H youth who have made an impact on the community, and are stepping up to the challenges of a complex and changing world.

To celebrate National 4-H Week, 4-Hers across the region are wearing the 4-H shirts to school, visiting with their Board of Supervisors, and helping out in their communities.

I am a 4-H volunteer because of “My interest in youth becoming future leaders and as a role model for my own children during their 4-H years; To show how we should care about our community and give back what we can to our communities.” said El Dorado County 4-H Volunteer Lorraine Larsen-Hallock.

Recent findings from Tufts University's 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that young people in 4-H are three times more likely to contribute to their communities than youth not participating in 4-H. Notably, the Tufts research discovered that the structured learning, encouragement and adult mentoring that 4-H'ers receive play a vital role in helping them actively contribute to their communities. In El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne Counties, more than 1,000 4-H members and 150 volunteers are involved in 4-H.

Also during National 4-H Week, hundreds of thousands of youth from all around the nation will complete a single, innovative experiment on 4-H National Youth Science Day. The 2012 National Science Experiment, 4-H Eco-Bot Challenge, explores how robots can be used to preserve and protect the environment, while offering a glimpse into the future of science, technology, engineering and math. El Dorado County 4-H held their event last Saturday on October 8th and was attended by over 60 youth.

4-H youth are a living breathing, culture-changing revolution for doing the right thing, breaking through obstacles and pushing our country forward by making a measurable difference right where they live. Learn how you can Join the Revolution of Responsibility at 4-H.org/revolution, or contact your local 4-H Program Representative at University of California Cooperative Extension, Central Sierra at http://ucanr.edu/centralsierra4-h.