Georgia 4-H helps youth to acquire knowledge, develop life skills and form attitudes that will enable them to become self-directive and productive members of society. The program sets the stage for youth and adults to learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change.
Mission
Georgia 4-H has a mission to assist youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society. This mission is accomplished through hands-on learning experiences and a focus on agricultural and environmental issues, agriculture awareness, leadership, communication skills, foods and nutrition, health, energy conservation and citizenship.
Georgia 4-H is all about exploring and discovering, encouraging and challenging. As a program of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension System, 4-H is part of the nationwide Extension network.
Members of 4-H are known for sharing their research-based knowledge and technology with others where they live and work. Georgia 4-H combines federal, state, and local expertise and resources.
Environmental Education
Environmental education programs are administered by UGA Cooperative Extension at six 4-H centers across the state.
These programs offer teachers and students a combination of resources in the forms of nature and equipment to aid in the learning process. Programs can be customized to meet specific objectives as requested by visiting schools.
Program Objectives
To develop an awareness, knowledge and appreciation for the natural environment
To cultivate curiosity, critical reasoning and evaluation skills
To develop positive relationships between students and their teachers
To make the school program more meaningful by applying knowledge and skills required in the classroom to real-life situations
To provide experiences in scientific processes, such as observing, measuring, classifying, etc.
To develop self-confidence and physical fitness
To develop an appreciation for the local and natural history of an area
On a sunny day with bright-blue skies, I arrive at Mark’s Melon Patch in Sasser, Georgia, and immediately spot the familiar white University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pickup truck, the Terrell County Extension logo prominently displayed on the door. Seth McAllister, the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Terrell County, greets me with a broad grin and a firm handshake. Terrell County alone has 60,000 acres of row crops, half in cotton. But what McAllister loves most about his role as an Extension agent is the diversity of his work.
By the end of his first week at 4-H summer camp, fifth grader Cooper Hardy already had many memories of new and exciting experiences. “That was the first time I got in a canoe,” Hardy said. “It was a big deal for me.” Now, 10 years later, Hardy serves as a Georgia 4-H camp counselor at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. It’s a dream he’s held since the first time he set foot on the sprawling, wooded 1,500-acre campus as a camper.
Caroline Hinton wants to foster a love of learning for all students who walk through her door. As the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Hinton helps students connect with their fields of study outside of the classroom. “I find joy and excitement in getting to watch students experience different parts of agriculture and find a place in our state’s own agriculture industry,” she said.
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