Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H. The theme for this year's National 4-H Week, Opportunity4All, is a campaign that was created by National 4-H Council to rally support for Cooperative Extension's 4-H program and identify solutions to eliminate the opportunity gap that affects 55 million kids across America.

Wahkiakum County 4-H will observe National 4-H Week this year by highlighting some of the inspirational 4-H youth in our community who are working tirelessly to support each other and their communities.

"Youth development research shows that kids need positive adult mentors, welcoming groups where they belong, and opportunities to learn hands-on in projects that spark their creativity and passion," said Carrie Backman, WSU Wahkiakum County Director and county agent. "Our 4-H volunteers and youth working together build their own resilience together during these challenging times, while serving others. A great example was our Wahkiakum County Virtual Fair. Our 4-H kids worked with our adult volunteers to show, and even market, our community's fair projects in a virtual way. Together, they created something very special, an online environment."

In Wahkiakum County, 4-H programs offered include robotics, photography, multiple animal projects, gardening, crafts, arts, cooking, food preservation, and more. Key to these activities are involved volunteer adults serving as club or activity leaders. Wahkiakum County 4-H is looking for adult and teen volunteers to strengthen their club and activity programs, with short and longer term volunteer opportunities.

For youth interested in learning more about 4-H, 4-H will offer regular "Explore 4-H" activities through the coming months via Zoom, with activities lead by regional 4-H agents in a variety of projects. Where broadband access is limited, call the Extension office for other opportunities to access.

One of the most anticipated events of National 4-H Week every year is the 4-H STEM Challenge, formerly known as National Youth Science Day. The theme of this year's event, which is expected to see hundreds of thousands of youth across the nation taking part throughout October, is Mars Base Camp. Developed by Google and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Mars Base Camp is a collection of activities that teaches kids ages 8-14 STEM skills, including mechanical engineering, physics, computer science and agriculture.

To learn more about how you can get involved, visit http://www.4-h.org/ or call the WSU Wahkiakum County Extension office, at 360-795-3278.