I know you have heard the old saying “making lemonade out of lemons.” That is exactly what the Robeson County 4-H Program is doing. Like many programs, due to the pandemic we are not able to meet face to face. So, we are learning to be more creative and think outside the box through virtual programming. In other words, our members are still learning, and having fun along the way.

Summer camp, virtually? For the last few months 4-H has offered the following camps, most of them free of charge, to all 4-H members:  Jr Chef; Arts & Crafts; Biotech; Cloverbud; Overnight Camp; Congress; Citizenship; and Junior County Retreat. Multiple parents stated their children really enjoyed and appreciated the camps, and they are on board with future 4-H virtual programming. The campers said they learned new things, and “every single day” they had fun. Also, our 4-H teens were given the opportunity to teach workshops to our younger youth. It gave the teens a sense of responsibility and accomplishment; it allowed the younger 4-H members to have someone to look up to, as well as dream about the fact they could be one day leading a group. For the Robeson County 4-H program, those are the same successes as normal, just delivered differently.

School is now back in session. If you are looking to supplement what your child is learning in school with some fun, hands-on activities download the 4-H app. Just go to your app store and download “4-H Now!”. This is a free download. When you open the app, search for Robeson County 4-H. From there you can join 4-H, sign up for programs and contests, and see what our amazing youth are doing. Just about everything we are offering is free for our youth.

I know change is hard for a lot of people, probably most of us. We are so accustomed to face-to-face interaction in almost every aspect of our lives, and now we are mostly communicating by technology of some sort. It’s not just education online, but a lot of adults are working remotely and depending on virtual meetings, conferences, and learning online too. Not only does 4-H offer virtual programming to youth, but we also have virtual volunteer trainings, workshops, and conferences that are provided for all volunteers.

Learning new ways of doing familiar things can be stressful. It’s important to keep youth engaged, offer hands-on activities, open discussions, and interactive components to keep them focused. Our goal is to successfully work together by building partnerships, working with youth, parents, families, and the community during this pandemic to ensure the youth of Robeson County can be the best they can be.

Keep your children and yourself engaged with the Robeson County 4-H program. The program has a perfect mix of virtual activities for both youth and their families. Until we can meet again face to face, we have navigated new ways of engaging and learning while having fun virtually. Stay connected with 4-H by downloading the 4-H app, through the  4-H blog, or our website. You can also find us on Facebook at N.C. Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center. We would love to have you help us keep this 4-H lemonade sweet by joining the program.

For more information, contact Wendy Maynor, Extension 4-H Youth Development Program Associate, at 910-671-3276, by Email at Wendy_Maynor@ncsu.edu, or visit our website.