More than 6 million young people across the country will be celebrating National 4-H Week, October 4-10. Grant County 4-H leverages National 4-H Week to celebrate the great things that the 4-H youth development program offers young people and highlights the incredible 4-H young people who work to a make a positive impact on their community.

Grant County 4-Hers will be displaying poster boards of their clubs annual activities and accomplishments at various business during this week.

In addition to traditional 4-H programming such as market animal projects, baking and sewing for the county fair, recent years has seen a great deal of interest in shooting sports. Grant County has certified coaches and fields teams in .22 rifle, shotgun, and archery.

Research has proven that participation in 4-H has a significant positive impact on young people. Recent findings from the Tufts University 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development indicate that, when compared to their peers, young people in 4-H are:

• Nearly 4 times more likely to contribute to their communities,
• Two times more likely to pursue healthy behaviors like, and
• Two times more likely to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs in the out-of-school time.

In Grant County, more than 200 4-H youths and 40 leaders and volunteers are involved in 4 H.

Tanah Lowe, a nine year Grant County 4-Her, served this past year as a State 4-H Ambassador. A quote from Tanah regarding her 4-H experiences, "The interactions I have had through 4-H have allowed me to make connections that will help me far beyond 4-H. It has taught me that it's okay to be me. This is the message I try to spread throughout the community."

About 4-H:
4-H, the largest youth development organization in the world, is a community of seven million young people across the globe learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. In the U.S., 4-H programs are implemented by the 109 land grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System through their 3,100 local Extension offices across the country. Overseas, 4-H programs operate throughout more than 50 countries.

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.