4-H Camp

            I’ve been to 4-H camp several times and I used to consider myself a veteran. No I haven’t been since I was in diapers like some, but I still thought I knew everything there was to know about camp, and then I got a wake up call. Even though I was going with a different camping group and a totally new camp as well, I still didn’t expect to be surprised like I was. Your feelings about 4-H camp change as your role changes: you adore it as a camper, you still have fun when you’re a teen, as an adult you learn more about the responsibility you have and then somewhere along the line you forget about how exciting it was as a camper. When camp becomes part of your job, you start to get weighed down with technicalities and liability and you lose that joy at camp. But this year mine came back. I got to know the agents and counselors I was working with and they became like family before the week was up. The kids in my cabin and team were great and everyone in my classes had a good time. But what really opened my eyes was seeing what camp meant to these kids. To some kids it’s just a fun weekend, but others look forward to it all year. For some, camp is the only place kids feel at home and like they belong. It gives them a network of people who care about them and want them to succeed. Another important thing I saw was kids growing. 4-H strives to make kids better citizens and that absolutely happens at camp. When you see a kid climb the rock wall, who is terrified of heights, and the joy they have after going down the zip line, that’s growth. Or a kid coming out of their shell and making friends, that’s growth. To be a part of that experience for those kids, makes you feel incredibly blessed and reaffirm your belief in 4-H and Cooperative Extension. SO needless to say, this past week was the best week of 4-H camp I’ve ever experienced, not only because of the friendships I made but also because of the impact I saw it make in those kids’ lives.