By Matthew McClellan

Rowan County 4-H Agent

SALISBURY — One of the most common questions I get as a 4-H agent is “what is 4-H?”

Well, the short answer is, everything.

The longer answer might be that the 4-H program is the youth education program of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, based at North Carolina State and North Carolina A&T State universities.

More than 239,000 young people ages 5 through 18 participate in North Carolina 4-H activities each year with the help of 21,700 adult and youth volunteers.

Of course the answer is more than that, but one thing we do is have incredible opportunities for members to gain and improve leadership skills.

This particular aspect of the program was in full effect a couple of weeks ago as four delegates from Rowan County attended 4-H State Council Conference Nov. 19-20 in Raleigh.

The delegation joined more than 270 youth and adults from across North Carolina. While at the conference, delegates had the chance to participate in interactive workshops, improve their leadership skills and learn with others from across the state.

During the conference, attendees celebrated and recognized 4-H Youth Volunteer award winners and helped celebrate the achievements of youth reaching new 4-H Ambassador levels.

We got to do all this and we had a great time.  4-H’ers who attended from Rowan County were Holly Wallace, Anthony Blandino, Hunter Lund and Beth Stebe.

This is just one of the many opportunities that exist for youth to travel, gain leadership skills, meet new people, and have fun while learning.

If traveling to Raleigh is not your thing, or your child is not old enough for the teen events, maybe the 4-H Winter Food Show is more your style.

This event will be on Dec. 17, and gives youth an opportunity to show off their cooking skills.

The theme for this year’s contest is “heirloom family recipes” and there are several categories that youth may participate in.

This event is open to youth throughout the county and more information about the winter food show can be found on our Extension website, www.rowan.ces.ncsu.edu, or 4-H Facebook page (search Rowan 4-H program) or by calling me at the 4-H office 704-216-8970.

There are many more opportunities available to youth in the Rowan County 4-H program, if you would like to get your child involved in a great program that can offer a multitude of pathways to success, give me a call and we can discuss all the ways to get involved.