Improving Wellbeing in Augusta County
ID
VCE-1177-9NP
Sharing Knowledge
Augusta County residents indicated needs for teen leadership opportunities, positive youth activities, and character education in Augusta Extension’s 2018 Situational Analysis Survey. Participation in Junior 4-H Camp provides an opportunity to address those needs.
Augusta County youth attend camp at the W.E. Skelton 4-H Educational Center, along with campers from Rockingham, Alleghany, Bath, and Highland counties. Campers take classes such as kayaking, climbing, riflery, and horseback riding. They can also choose from classes that incorporate arts and crafts, baking and cooking, and multimedia. Teen counselors are responsible for supervising campers, assisting with classes, and leading camp groups called packs. They train for a minimum of 24 hours leading up to camp. Additionally, character education is delivered at Junior 4-H Camp through the Character Counts program.
Augusta County had 100 camp participants this year, consisting of 78 campers and 22 teen counselors and counselors-in-training. In a post-camp survey, campers indicated that they learned new things, made new friends, and learned to respect others and their ideas. Teen counselors reported that they became more comfortable leading groups and speaking in front of others, and they were given opportunities to teach others what they had learned.
Community Voices
“We loved the presentation on the Nile River and Egypt! Our class was able to learn about imports and exports as well as experiment with building small boats that can carry cargo.”
Third Grade Team
Stuarts Draft Elementary School
663
Enrolled 4-H members in Augusta County
Partners for Solutions
“Marketing medium-to-coarse wool by area sheep producers has increasingly been a challenge. To address this, I secured a buyer for the wool of 30 area producers. Over 10,970 pounds of wool was marketed by the Augusta Sheep and Wool Association. Combined with a $0.40 per pound loan deficiency payment from Farm Service Agency, the 2023 Valley Wool Pool returned an average of $204 per producer consigning their wool to the pool.”
John Benner
Agent
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Verona, VA 24482
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Publication Date
June 21, 2024
