It's time for you to connect with more than 2,350 youth across BC and plug into the 4-H program which has been around for over 95 years! Develop community awareness, leadership abilities, and new skills. Learn something you never knew about yourself through 4-H! With over 24 different projects, the choice is YOURS! Have the experience of a lifetime and join 4-H TODAY!

There are four age groups to choose from, which are: Cloverbuds for 6 to 8 year olds, Junior Members for 9 to 12 year olds, and Senior Members for 13 to 19 year olds. We also offer special projects for 20 to 21 year olds, so check us out and you will be sure to find a program to suit you.

Put the Child First: See here or here for more details.

Introduction to 4-H (Leaders Handbook): See here or here for more details.

February 13th, 9:00am - Introduction to 4-H –Saanich Fairgrounds: See here or here for more details.

February 13th, 12:30pm - Put the Child First – Saanich Fairgrounds: See here or here for more details.

February 13th, 3:15 pm - 4-H Club Management – Saanich Fairgrounds: See here or here for more details.

February 14th, 1:00 pm 4-H Communications Program – Saanich Fairgrounds: See here or here for more details.

Over 165 4-H members, leaders, and families from the Central Interior 4-H Region met on September 26th for "4-H Family Frenzy" a regional conference that was held at the College of New Caledonia in Quesnel. The conference included 28 sessions on various topics in the areas of livestock care, non-livestock projects, leadership, safety, recreation, and fun. To read all about it, click here.

Ninety six 4-H members and dozens of volunteer leaders descended on the Maple Ridge Fairgrounds for a weekend of fun and learning at the South Coastal 4-H Judging program, held July 18th and 19th.

4-H members took part in the judging competition and had lots of fun dancing and swimming too! To read all about it, click here.

Youth Action has its own page on the BC 4-H website. You can find it by going to the Clubs/Programs tab on the top of the page and selecting Youth Action from the drop down menu. There you will find a brief overview of Youth Action 2009, pictures from this year's program, and quotes from delegates that attended the program. If you attended the program then you can also find some celebrate your 4-H hero stories that you wrote up, and a 4-H recipe from one of our sessions. Don’t forget about the 4-H Hero Challenge, in which delegates were challenged to be a hero in their community and send us the story to be entered in a draw to win prizes. Check it out to see what Youth Action 2009 was all about!

Fourteen outstanding 4-H members from British Columbia have been awarded 4-H Scholarships totalling over $24,000 to assist in their post-secondary education. The complete list of winners is available for viewing and download here.

BC 4-H invites its members and leaders to submit nominations for the category of Honorary Member.

Criteria a follows:

- Nominee must have been involved at one or more levels of 4-H work in BC for a minimum of ten years in total.
- Nominee may have been involved in any capacity of 4-H whether volunteer, professional or sponsor.
- Nominee must have demonstrated significant initiative, leadership and positive impact on 4-H in BC.

From May 1st to 5th youth from around the province met for an action-packed weekend at Agri-Career Adventure 2009. Twenty participants from 16 to 22 years of age joined the charter bus tour in Abbotsford and explored agriculture opportunities throughout the Fraser Valley and Thompson-Okanagan regions. They experienced firsthand the diversity of agriculture in BC with tours including a rainbow of colours, a taste of cheese, a touch of grapes, a glimpse of technology and ride in an apple cart. One participant, Allena Cave discovered, "I didn't realize all the possibilities agriculture has to offer."

In addition to seeing BC agriculture and career options, participants enhanced their career planning skills. Sessions included self-marketing through skills awareness, resume building, and expectations for job interviews. The last day of the tour allowed participants to meet one-on-one with agriculture professionals to learn about their stories as well as practice professional networking skills.

Thank you to all of the tour hosts, guest speakers and professionals for taking the time to share their passion of agriculture and inspire youth towards a future in agriculture. We would also like to thank our generous sponsors for their support: BC Youth in Agriculture Foundation, Westgen Endowment Fund, Canadian 4-H Council, BC 4-H Provincial Council and the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.

To see the tour in action, visit our trip blog at Agri-Career Adventure 2009.

This year I attended Agri-Career Adventures 2009 where I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. My adventure began when I left with my fellow 4-H member Amber Bently from Kamloops to take the long trip to the Summit Pacific College. Upon our arrival we were assigned rooms and settled in. Afterward orientation began with introductions and a highly enthusiastic banana dance. To follow was a couple of slide shows outlining 4-H careers and other stuff we should know.

The next day the tours began with Fresian Equipment where we were given a tour and taught the basics of tractor management. The fact that interested me most was the close contact the customers were given with the dealership. Our next stop was Rainbow Greenhouses where we toured the multiple greenhouses, occasionally getting wet along the way. An intriguing part I found was that they use pine beetle mulch to run their boilers, as well as using flood floors.

The next tour was The University of the Fraser Valley which fed us pizza, much to our delight. They outlined their agriculture courses and I was impressed with how friendly the people were. Our last tour of the day was the UBC Dairy research farm where eyebrows were raised at just how closely the cows are watched. Their ear tags are equipped with a chip that records which cow is at the food trough. The bar slides down and the information of how much that cow drinks or eats is recorded. We observed how the cows were milked as well, which was fascinating. After that there was the tortuous ride back to Kamloops where we ate, and slept at the Maverick Motor Inn.

Day 3, we went to the Bald Eagle Land Ranch. We learned about the white finishing of cows on grass. It is supposed to be better for you than grain finished beef. We also got to see the set of Flicka 2, much to the disappointment of everybody, Clint Black was on his day off. Then we traveled to Demille's Farm Market and learned about direct farm marketing. We enjoyed lunch and the presence of a variety of animals. Tour stop number seven was Happy Days Goat Dairy where we explored the process of making cheese and eating it, too. The people were very friendly. Back on the bus we practiced our interview skills before dinner. Finally we got to bed at the Cadet Training Centre in Vernon.

Day 4, our first stop of the day was Davison Orchards Country Village. We learned about the pollination of apple trees and the process of selling goods for what they are worth. This was one of my favorite stops. The next stop was not really a tour but we got lunch and got to learn about Farm Credit Canada and their lending business.

Tour stop 10 was also among my favorites. We learned about grafting apple trees and the union worker honey bees,(the Bumblebees are much harder workers). We also learned of the challenges of going organic and why our host chose to in the first place. We observed the emus that also lived on this farm, and some of us bought eggs. We also got to hear about the exchange program WOOFA, where people from different countries get to come and work on farms for the experience. The emu meat was delicious and completely fatless. Our next destination was Clement turf farms were we got to meet the new and improved turf harvesting machine which was fascinating. It packed the harvested sod neatly on the back of the tractor.

Our last stop was the Summerhill Pyramid Winery where we learned about the wine making process, but to the disappointment of many we didn't get to drink any. We endeavored to explore the pyramid and dinner was exquisite. On the long dreaded trip back to Summit Pacific we practiced our networking skills.

The next morning we got to network with professionals who were very helpful and educational. Our last career session was the wrap up. Then lunch, the food as always was very good on the entire trip and Summit Pacific was a lovely setting. No complaints there. Our last activity was Agricultural jeopardy and prizes. The only thing I would change is the Family Feud held at the Department of Agriculture and Lands in Vernon, as the answers were either not there or almost impossible to guess.

Overall I had a lot of fun even if lost a lot of sleep in the process. I encourage every 4-H member with an interest to attend the next one, you will learn a lot and meet a lot of friends.

Fourteen British Columbia 4-H members have been awarded travel opportunities. The opportunities will involve outstanding young adults participating in various seminars, conferences and leadership programs during the next year.

Travel opportunity recipients were selected based on their past 4-H involvement, individual opportunity preference, leadership potential, and an interview. A key element in selections is to match delegates to an opportunity that fits the individual and will provide the environment for maximum leadership and youth development.

Travel opportunity awards and recipients are as follows:

4-H Youth Action Staff Leadership – (July 6 – 12, 2009)
Anna Douglas, Fraser Valley
Tamara Turner, Kamloops/Okanagan
Amelia Whitelaw, Vancouver Island

National 4-H Skills ( …and Thrills) Conference – Winnipeg (October 22-25, 2009)
Jasmine Doerfling, Fraser Valley
Tim Dumont, Kamloops Okanagan

National 4-H Members Conference – Toronto (November 3-8, 2009)
Scott Baker, Central Interior
Amber Bentley, Kamloops Okanagan
Brittany Dowling, Yellowhead West
Chad Sprietsma, Fraser Valley
Chelsea Webster, Fraser Valley

National 4-H Citizenship Seminar – Ottawa (tentative April 8 -15, 2010)
Stacy Beek, Fraser Valley
Carmen Herbert, Vancouver Island
Mariah Niesner, Yellowhead West

Washington DC 4-H Conference (tentative April 8 – 16, 2010)
Beth Anderson, Kamloops Okanagan

Get ready for upcoming judging rallies by visiting the new interactive livestock judging web site. This new resource is available to all members and leaders to test their livestock judging skills. To get started, go to the BC 4-H Web site and click on the "Interactive Livestock Judging" button, or go to this page.

Quizzes have been created to test judging knowledge of the different BC 4-H livestock projects at 3 different levels. Once a quiz is completed, the results can be printed off so participants can let their leaders know how well they are doing.

This resource can be used by project leaders as a teaching tool, by members who want to increase their judging skills and anyone who wants to learn more about BC 4-H's 11 livestock projects.

Check it out today and help us spread the word! Any questions or comments can be directed to Laura Code at laura.d.code@gov.bc.ca, toll free 1-877-702-5585 or direct line 250-260-3008.

Have you heard the news! The BC 4-H Leader Training program has been revamped a renewed. Check out this flyer for details on the program and check back regularly for upcoming leader training dates in your area.

In planning out your 4-H year, take a minute to consider taking on a fun and challenging opportunity such as a Junior Leadership, Self-Determined or Senior Management project. There are a vast number of interesting and exciting options available to you so just take a minute and discuss it with your Leader and get on board!!

Leaders and Awards Coordinators - if your members haven't already come to you with ideas, go to them!!

Do you have any stories, information, or pictures from 4-H events that you'd like to share. Send us an email to B.C. 4-H , and we'll get it posted on the BC 4-H web site for you.

If you send pictures, would you please add a brief explanation along with each one, and just remember, for privacy reasons, some of the material may need to be edited.