One of the programs hosted by the Walton County Extension Office on Hwy. 83 is the popular 4-H Club. The mission of 4-H is to assist young people and the adults working with them, to gain additional knowledge, life skills, and attitudes that will further their development as responsible, contributing, and productive members of society.
Nicole Crawson, Walton County 4-H Agent with the University of Florida since 2021, said that any child aged 5 – 18 “belongs in 4-H. They should really be in 4-H. I am a huge advocate of it because we teach life skills, we teach social skills. The things that we learned when we were in school, some of the teachers are overburdened and don’t have time to teach it in the school system now – so, we teach it” she said.
“We teach a lot of leadership skills, like with this group, the teen council, they do leadership, community service – but we also teach them social skills, like how to work with each other, how to introduce themselves, shake hands correctly, how to apply for a job, what to wear at a job. It’s important that the kids in the community know that we’re here and that we’re available. We teach everything from sewing to cooking to archery – I tell the kids, ‘If you can dream it – and it’s within policy – we’re going to try it because we want to find their spark.”
Crawson said they try to use as many guest speakers as possible. At Wednesday’s meeting of the club, students received a lesson on the proper ways to treat, handle and fold the American Flag from Walton County Veterans Services Director Wade Wilmoth. Crawson said that, because of Veterans Day, she wondered how many of her kids knew how to fold a flag properly. “This is a perfect opportunity. We’re honoring our veterans, and we need to know how to fold a flag, so I reached out to Wade and he agreed to come today and teach everyone.”
Crawson said joining 4-H is a simple process. Students can enroll online year-round, with parental consent. From age 5 – 7, the program is free. From age 8 – 18, there is a $20 membership fee and scholarships are available.
There are 14 4-H Clubs in Walton County, with over 300 members and plenty of volunteers.
For more information, contact Nicole Crawson at the Walton County Extension Office, (850) 892-8172.
Author: Sowal Editor
Views: 4
