By Angela Brown

Battlefords area 4-H club starting again next month

Jul 31, 2020 | 3:05 PM

The Battlefords area 4-H club for youth is getting underway again beginning next month.

Erin Cooper, the assistant general leader of the Eagle Hills Multiple 4-H Club, said the club continues to follow the province’s COVID-19 precautions.

“We will be starting at the end of August and following the rules and guidelines set out by the Saskatchewan Health Authority as well as work with 4-H Saskatchewan,” she said. “We are allowed in-person outdoor meetings and events, so that is what we will be focused on for the next few months. Our 4-H club is extremely busy and active within this community, so we do a lot of [activities]. We are going to try to make sure we can do as much as we can within the guidelines.”

Cooper said she was saddened when the Battlefords 4-H Regional Show and the 4-H Days event were both cancelled due to the province’s COVID-19 precautions. But she said she is hopeful for the future.

“[The youth] work hard all-year long to improve their skills, to learn about their project, and put their time in,” she said. “Not to have a place to display their hard work is a very big disappointment. Also our kids look forward to getting together to cheer each other on and to have a little fun in competitions.”

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Cooper said the club is able to promote some of the 4-H club members’ projects this year online however.

Most members are from the Battlefords and surrounding area. The club has some come from as far as Edam and expects a new participant from Biggar for the new session.

The members participated in a number of projects for the 2019-2020 program year. The club offers a variety of activities. The 4-H beef heifer project helps give youth experience to select, grow/raise, develop, breed and manage breeding animals. Members also participate in a light horse riding program, engage in public speaking training, develop canine agility courses and training exercises, learn archery and work on robotics projects, among some of program activities. When there is enough interest, the club also offers a market steer project for its members to take part in.

4-H Saskatchewan plans to prepare a compilation video from various videos and photos submitted from many members from clubs throughout the province to highlight what the members have accomplished this year.

“Our social media is a great place to see some of the [projects] that clubs have done,” Executive Director Cera Youngson said.

4-H Saskatchewan also plans to hold a number of online programs for members across the province this year.

Youngson said while it has been a challenging year due to the COVID-19 restrictions and event cancellations, the clubs and members have accomplished a great deal.

“We are really proud of our clubs and the way that they learn to do by doing. That is the motto,” she said. “They tried new things for those that were marketing animals… We saw clubs hold virtual shows. And, for sales we saw some do private marketing in their communities, putting together meat packages or selling their animals directly in their community. So it was an opportunity for them to test their skills, and try something new.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW