The Town of Leader starts a 4-H Multi Club
By Mallory Cawthra
The Town of Leader recently started a 4-H Multi-Club, which was initiated by Gina Ehret. Gina is a Nurse Practitioner in Leader, and her children were involved in 4-H, where they previously lived, so she decided to get one started in Leader. Trina Steinkey has been assisting Gina with getting the 4-H club up and running. The first meeting for the club was held on November 7th, 2021, and there will be a general meeting held once a month until June. There is a minimum attendance requirement for members to receive credit for the year. There are currently about 30 members registered, with 12 Leaders and additional parent volunteers. Registration is closed now for the year, but they hope to continue growing each year.
During the Club year, the members work on various projects and complete a record book for each project, which helps them develop valuable life skills, friendships, public speaking skills, leadership skills and foster a sense of community. Members can participate in as many projects as they like. The 4-H members are grouped into age categories, which include: Cloverbud (ages 6 to 8), Junior (ages 9 to 12), Intermediate (ages 13 to 15), Senior (ages 16 to 21) and Future Leader (ages 22 to 25). The members aren’t broken out into age categories when working on their projects.
Erin Romanuik, the Town Administrator for Leader, is one of the 4-H leaders, and she explained, “The projects we have this year are Baking, Small Pets, Fishing, Archery, Woodworking and Arts & Crafts. We are hoping to start our projects in January and plan on having an achievement day in June for the kids to show off what they have learned.”
Ehret describes the 4-H Club in further detail: The members also elect and vote for their club executive (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Club Reporter, District Reps) project leaders, create their own constitution and budget, plan fundraising events, community service and fun activities.
There are 4-H Clubs all across Canada, and the 4-H Saskatchewan website mentions that the first livestock clubs started in Saskatchewan in 1917 in Dubuc, Colgate, and Tantallon. The Saskatchewan 4-H website states that their motto is “Learn to Do by Doing,” promoting the concept of experiential learning. The 4-H components include Head, Heart, Hands and Health and the emblem is a green, four-leaf clover with a white “H” on each leaf. The aim is for the members to develop each component equally and grow as individuals.
The members of the Leader 4-H Multi Club are currently selling Little Caesar pizza kits for their first fundraiser campaign to assist with project costs. There are also scholarships available each year for senior members, travel opportunities, contests, competitions and more.
Erin further added that “Some of us took 4-H as kids and are excited to get back into it, while others are first-timers and are learning all about what 4-H does for youth and the community.”
