Thrills, Hills, and Not Many Moments to Chill

WEEKS 1-2, June 2-16

Thrills, Hills, and Not Many Moments to Chill

What can I say? The last two weeks have been the busiest and (to an extent) most exhausting of my life. I have to say though, each moment has been worth the toil. I have experienced so much in so short a time, and it seems unbelievable that I have another six weeks ahead of me.
My first week was quite an eye-opener. I was immediately concerned with preparing for Teen Conference the next week and 4H Camp the week after that. Practically everything that I have done in my time here has pertained to these in some way, although I have had time to experience other parts of my supervising agent's job as well. On my first day, we went on several farm visits, collecting many diseased plant samples to take to UK's lab, while also attempting not to get lost in Menifee County's many narrow backroads. Later that week, we led the fifth grade students at Menifee Elementary in a water quality activity which involved wading through the creek to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates.
In addition to these activities, camp has been at the forefront of my movements at the office. I drove our junior and adult counselors to AC/JC orientation, assisted in counselor training, and worked all weekend at Menifee County's annual Mountain Memories festival in order to raise money for camp scholarships. After that, I began to work on all of our camp paperwork, which has persisted until we arrived at camp today. Admittedly, I can't say that I thought that the paperwork would be that difficult to handle, but when camp is tomorrow and 25 of your 50 capers haven't turned in their physical exams/insurance cards/activity release forms/any other necessary piece of paper, that binder of information can become a real pain. I now know the toil and the struggle that goes into planning camp, since I was able to sit in on those meetings as well.
  I was able to escape from the office for a few days by attending Teen Conference at UK, which I had never had the pleasure of doing before. I like how the concept of camp and the ideals of 4H were adapted in order to provide an experience that that for teen members of 4H. During the conference, my agent and I taught a track that focused on community service. We visited the Ronald McDonald House and the ACS Hope Lodge, which are charities that provide medical patients and their families/caretakers with a free or affordable place to stay while they are in the hospital or in outpatient care. While there, we volunteered by way of doing chores, cleaning their facilities and grounds.
Lastly, I can mention my special project. Currently, I already volunteer as a director and actor for the Menifee County Community Theatre Group, which produces several theatrical productions a year. Given this already connection, I have been brainstorming with my agent about a joint effort to involve teens and children in both 4H and the Theatre Group. Specifically, I have discussed enabling a program which would allow teens to direct and produce their own shows (original or otherwise) and also possibly producing a children's play, along the lines of Charlotte's Web. this would provide the youth of our community a much-needed source of opportunity in the Fine Arts.
  Personally, I can't wait to see what else is in store for me, especially given my first two weeks. However, right now, I am too involved with 4H Camp to even think about my special project, let alone plan or schedule. Camp is and always will be my favorite part about 4H. This is my ninth year of attending camp, and I have no intention of giving it up anytime soon.


                                                                                   Tyler Wells, Menifee County 4-H