2020—the year that provided Kansas 4-H youth unexpected leadership opportunities

There are activities on every Kansas county’s 4-H calendar that have not changed in significant ways for generations.

Spring is a time for Club Skit Days. Summer brings 4-H camps and county fairs. Fall ushers in achievement banquets and the Kansas State Fair, and so on and so forth.

But 2020 threw all of that out the window with the coronavirus pandemic and the need to put in added safety measures to try to slow the spread of COVID-19 among the population. Goodbye sleepover 4-H camp. Goodbye traditional county fair. Goodbye normalcy, right?

The one thing this year couldn’t account for is the gumption and ingenuity of 4-H members.

Michelle Beran is the 4-H youth development agent for the Cottonwood Extension District that covers Barton and Ellis counties in Kansas. Both Great Bend and Hays, Kansas, are cities in the newer district. Beran said due to the earliness of the Barton County fair, officials in the district had to decide in late April how they would approach the annual showcase of 4-H projects months later.

New ideas

She said if there was any positive to come out of the COVID pandemic situation, it was that it forced 4-H districts and counties to dive into new platforms and ways to deliver programming.

For example, Barton County Fair Board chose to use a blended fair format, using a program called “FlipGrid” for judging of the static projects like crafts and photography, while still having in-person livestock shows with guidance from local health department officials. FlipGrid was one of those online platforms that got re-purposed this year from its start as a platform for teachers to teach distance courses. In this case, 4-H members were able to film themselves with their static projects and those videos were judged and feedback was given.

“It’s designed for grade school kids to use,” she said. “Honestly, the adults had more trouble than the kids. [The kids] figured out how to use it pretty easily. We did what we needed to do in order for our members to have a project showcase at the fair, she said. It wasn’t a perfect process, but this forced us to dive into new ways to deliver programming.”

Beran said the Barton County 4-H Ambassadors, a group of eight older 4-H members charged with promoting the program to members of the community, took the challenge of COVID head-on when it came to replacing their annual Youth Rally to get members excited for fair events. Beran said she gave them a challenge to find a way to go virtual with the event. They met her challenge and then some.

“They made video clips of themselves, each in their own homes, and they took a piece of the fair and created an introduction and some hype about it, and then one of our other kids with videography skills pulled it together and provided a clip you can see on our BartonCountyFair.com website,” Beran said. It turned out to be an opportunity for these young leaders to shine that they may not have had otherwise, and it’s carried over even after the fair. The group is usually tasked with addressing the county commissioners during National 4-H Week and they gave a video presentation of highlights of the past year that wowed the adults in the community.

“I love those moments when other people see just how impactful, how well-spoken, how passionate these kids can be about 4-H,” Beran said.

Helping the community

COVID-19 provided an opportunity for youth in the Hoisington Jets 4-H Club to use their skills to help their fellow students in the Hoisington School District, Beran added, through a mask-making bee. The Barton County Extension Office has a set of sewing machines that it’s used in the past for project demonstrations. A group of Hoisington Jets members asked if they could use the machines to sew masks for their fellow students.

“We had about six kids on sewing machines around the room, some pinning and ironing, and in a couple of hours they made 80 masks and donated them,” Beran said. “Here they were, looking out for their fellow humans, which was so crucial at this time.” At the same time, it provided older youth an opportunity to help other members learn new skills, and that helping and teaching is what 4-H is ultimately about, she added.

Food fundraiser remains a staple

Youth and their families have even figured out how to safely reformat the annual County 4-H Council Barbecue that’s normally held during the county fair, Beran said. This one barbecue fundraiser provides funding for scholarships for families who want to participate in 4-H camp, 4-H Discovery Days or other trips and activities throughout the year. This year, the barbecue was a drive-thru barbecue in Great Bend. Beran said one of the parents on the 4-H Barbecue Committee happens to be the head of the local fire department and has helped with drive-through fundraising meals and has helped the committee reformat this event so that it’s safe for the community and the 4-Hers who volunteer.

Through the last seven months of COVID-19 precautions, the cancellations of normal and all the hurdles, Beran said it has been incredible to watch 4-H members take it all in stride and with optimism and leadership. She added that she has faith that someday, events will get back to being in-person, but in the meantime watching the youth of her district expand their horizons and turn challenge into opportunity, that is what 4-H is all about in her book.

“To see our 4-H youth step up into roles, to take on FlipGrid, or wear their masks at a livestock show, take on that ambassador video, and have fun and be excited, it does my heart good,” she said.

To hear more from Michelle Berans, be sure to listen to the Oct. 5 episode of HPJ Talk, the podcast hosted by Jennifer M. Latzke and Kylene Scott. Find it at www.hpj.com/podcasts, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or where you download podcasts.

Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or [email protected] and Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].