The school year is quickly coming to an end, but Okaloosa County 4-H is gearing up for a busy summer.
Residential camp, day camps, workshops, and district and state events are filling up nearly every week this summer to keep everyone’s schedules jam packed.
The first on the agenda is overnight camping with Escambia and Santa Rosa County at 4-H Camp Timpoochee in Niceville the first week of June. This week-long camp is filled with shooting sports, marine exploration, kayaking, and creative dramatic classes, to name a few.
Next on the agenda are day camps and workshops that are held in June and July. Workshops will be held at the Eglin and Hurlburt Field Air Force Base School-Age Programs and Youth Centers, focusing on topics ranging from theatre arts to wilderness. Three 4-H Day Camps will be held at the Fort Walton Beach Library and are open to all youths, not just 4-H members. They are:
- June 19-21, Explore 4-H, for ages 5-7.
- July 10-12, Space Explorers, for ages 8-11.
- July 17-19: Junk Drawer Robotics: ages 12-18.
4-H members may also participate at 4-H district- and state-wide events throughout Florida. 4-H Legislature is a state-wide event consisting of teenagers ages 13-18 heading to Tallahassee to develop their debate, public speaking, and legislative skills.
They spend the week sponsoring, lobbying, and debating on the House and Senate floors with youths across the state of Florida.
4-H University is another state-wide event where youths ages 14-18 spend the week at the University of Florida attending educational workshops. They have the opportunity to meet faculty, explore career opportunities, and participate in community service activities.
Have a youth interested in one of the 4-H camps or events being held this summer or joining 4-H? Go to https://bit.ly/2VNwRZC, follow the Okaloosa 4-H Facebook page, or contact them at 689-5850, twilken@ufl.edu, or koakes@ufl.edu.
Katie Oakes and Taylor Wilken are agents at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Summers aren’t complete without 4-H