Barely time to Blog!

It is really hard to put into words how my internship with Owen County 4-H has been thus far. When I first applied, I really wanted to be placed in my home county, mostly because I am a little shy in new situations and Henry County 4-H was home and was in my comfort zone. But in the four weeks that I have spent with Owen County's office, they have made me feel at home. I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing 4-Hers and parents. Every day has been different. We have had small animal club meetings, fashion reviews, horse judging contests, camp volunteer trainings, 4-H council meetings, horse shows, babysitting clinics, meet me at the markets, horse contests, camp orientations and teen conference. I got the opportunity to help plan and put-on the first babysitting clinic in the county for several years. I got to experience teen conference for the very first time. I have met countless agents, farmers, and agricultural leaders from around the state. I even got John Calipari’s autograph at state teen conference. The past four weeks have been both some of the busiest and greatest weeks of my past summers.   

Now that I have met some 4-Hers, talked with Jessi, the Owen county 4-H agent and spoke with Owen County’s 4-H council as well as reviewed the county profile online I have planned my project based on the needs of the county. The 4-H council especially stressed the lack of agricultural diversity in the county as well as the shortage of high school graduates that pursue a higher education. With that being said, I planned my project around both of these shortfalls. Since I am a student at Kentucky State University I took the opportunity to ask a few favors and to arrange a trip up to their aquaculture research center. I went a step further to make a day camp out of it. On June 28^th, 4-Hers will meet me at the office for a short lesson about the basics of aquaculture and why seafood is so good for you. Then we will head for Frankfort, where we plan to stop in downtown for lunch then head to campus. Students will have the opportunity to see various demonstrations led by graduate students, students, and professors. They will also have the opportunity to tour a campus that is close to home. Lastly, they will see all the facilities and learn about the career possibilities that are available in aquaculture. On the way home students will complete an evaluation to see what the gained from the trip. I am super excited because we have several kids already signed up to go! I think this will be an exciting, fun, and educational day for the local 4-Hers. I cannot wait to see how my event works out and what the next few weeks have in store for me through this internship!

The Flyer I created to advertise my event