October is a whirlwind month in the Southeast Area between harvest, shipping and selling calves, high school athletics, and 4-H’s new year kick off. National 4-H Week was celebrated October 1-7 with achievement banquets, in-school programming, Council meetings, and County Commissioner proclamations and recognitions. 

This year the National 4-H Council set National 4-H Week’s theme as “4-H is a feeling.” You may have seen local and state Extension office post a picture of a jean jacket with a white button with those words followed by activities and events that the county wanted to spotlight as part of the week. 

For 4-H alumni and members, 4-H is more than a feeling. We have seen the Tufts University study showing 4-H youth are four times more likely to make contributions to their communities, two times more likely to be civically active and to make healthier choices. 

How do we translate those into tangible examples? The Southeast Area provides a wealth of examples from our 4-H alumni and Extension staff. Did you know that all Southeast Area 4-H specialists (agents) are all 4-H alumni?

We have seen multiple District VI 4-H officer alumni members enroll as 4-H leaders, Extension agents, or provide inspirational speaking to Area and state 4-H youth. For more on those please visit the Cheyenne County Extension “Why 4-H” series. Some of these alumni include United Airlines pilot Blake Mueller, Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association Media Coordinator Tanner Barth, and Holly High School FBLA instructor Theresa Rink.

The Southeast Area Extension offices have created and delivered programming to fit county needs. 

• Baca County recently returned from American Quarter Horse Congress Horse Quiz Bowl following a need identified for competitive teams. 
• Bent County has created a food science series for local high schools that features making butter, embryology, food safety, and bread making.
• Cheyenne County has created the LEAD program exploring leadership, exploration, and discovery. 
• Crowley and Otero have developed the Perfectly Imperfect curriculum expanding art and reaching underserved audiences. 
• Kiowa County has partnered with the library for a summer reading series and has used the state 4-H STEM trailer for the Maine Street Bash. 
• Prowers County hosts livestock fitting and showmanship clinics and hosted a livestock jackpot which drew exhibitors from six states.

All of these activities are made possible because of the support from our county stakeholders and volunteers. Please join us for this next year as we continue to deliver 4-H club and outreach programming. Contact any Southeast Area Extension office for more details.