Teens Design and Lead Summer Camps at Tucson Village Farm 

Leadership – Teaching – Fun! These are all the words that our 4-H counselors use when describing 4-H Tucson Village Farm summer camps. The 4-H Motto is “Learn by Doing” and what better way to learn life and leadership skills than to be given the opportunity to facilitate summer programming for peers and younger youth. Following this concept, many 4-H Summer Camps through Pima County Cooperative Extension are designed, planned, and implemented by 4-H members. At Tucson Village Farm (TVF), three youth who started as campers when they were just 6 years old and grew up participating in 4-H programs, are now serving as AmeriCorps members. They spent their summer leading campers through a variety of nutrition, teambuilding, agriculture, and leadership activities during the “First Farmers” camp. The youth have the autonomy to design and create activities that they think will be both fun and effective. These teens started their planning by focusing on what they wanted the campers to learn and then they figured out the best way to achieve those goals. Once they had activities planned and materials gathered, they hosted a training for our TVF staff and volunteers and soon the camps were underway – with much success. As one parent stated in an evaluation, “the young people who lead these camps are incredible. They are hard-working and organized and my camper simply adores them. We will certainly be signing my child up for this program when they get older.” Not all camps are organized and led by teens, but we believe that it is an effective practice that grows great kids. 

If you have a young person that you think would be interested in serving as a camp counselor next summer here are a couple of options. First, your teen can join the 4-H Healthy Living Ambassadors this fall, recruiting starts in September. Go to the Tucson Village Farm Website for more information. Second, you can be on the lookout for counselor applications, which will come out in early 2023. 

EFNEP Partners with

the American Heart Association

For the first time, Arizona's Community Nutrition-EFNEP and the American Heart Association are teaming up to help families, individuals, and communities make healthy life choices. Both these organizations provide evidence-based community nutrition and well-being programs that empower people to make healthy food, nutrition, and lifestyle choices. The new Healthy For Life curriculum includes the following highlights:

  ●   Your Well-Being - meditation, yoga, and other active lifestyle elements

  ●   Cooking Skills and Food - quick low-cost meals and easy prep techniques

  ●   Grocery Shopping - label reading, choosing low-cost healthy ingredients

  ●   Growing Healthy Habits - gardening, exercise, and moderating serving sizes

  ●   Home Cooking - knife skills, using crock pots, ovens, and grills for great meals

  ●   Eating the MyPlate way - balancing food groups and building in healthy snacks

These no-cost Healthy for LIfe classes are scheduled throughout the year with new class registrations available in August. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program is a unique program that is funded by USDA/NIFI. They are part of the Land Grant Universities in all 50 states, plus Guam, American Samoa, North Marianas, and Puerto Rico. It has been around for over 50 years!

You can sign up for Healthy for Life classes using our online Spanish and English registration forms. 

Be a 4-H Volunteer Leader

Pima County 4-H is home to 29 clubs with more than 700 members, ages 5-18. Urban and rural youth in Pima County engage in a wide range of hands-on 4-H projects such as raising livestock, cooking, leadership, citizenship, shooting sports, horse and dog projects, and much more! Although we have more than 140 active volunteer leaders, we still have youth that are unable to participate without more leaders on the team. As our club programs grow and evolve, we need more dedicated, hands-on volunteers willing to spend time helping youth grow and thrive across the county. You can help in specific project areas, become a community club leader, or be a project coordinator. Whatever your spark is, we can help you find it with 4-H! As a club leader, you will hold monthly meetings to bring youth together in your geographic area. We can help you find a meeting location and connect you with additional 4-H members as needed. As a project leader, you bring your expertise to the table, and we are there to support you. Your project can range from helping youth raise a chicken, goat, or bunny, to photography, sewing, bird watching, mineral collecting, or art – the sky’s the limit. The 4-H year begins in the Fall and culminates at the County Fair in April, so get in touch right away if you are interested. 

To start as a 4-H leader, complete a Potential Volunteer Application Packet. Once your application is complete, email a signed copy to Stephanie Brennan at [email protected]. Next, begin your certification to become an authorized adult 4-H volunteer.

We look forward to you joining our community here within Pima County 4-H!