MontanaFair 2020: The Year 4-H Rolled with It

Published: 2020
By Roni Baker

For many individuals, life skills are learned the hard way. A strength of the 4-H program is that it teaches skills by allowing members to learn through experiences. If you asked 4-H alumni what skills the program taught most, leadership and responsibility would likely be mentioned often. 2020 was unique in the way that members were challenged to develop two less common but equally essential skills: flexibility and adaptability. Although fair is one of the most recognizable events of the 4-H year, it is truly a culmination of the entire year. The fair gives 4-H members the opportunity to practice their skills of leadership, communication, teamwork, self-discipline and sportsmanship. In 2020, Yellowstone County 4-H and MontanaFair partnered to offer an unforgettable experience for the 80% of 4-H program youth who participated. An overwhelming majority of youth surveyed who participated in MontanaFair rated skills of flexibility and adaptability very high. Post-fair survey results were positive with comments demonstrating life skills learned such as: - “I learned to plan for the unexpected and keep communication in a positive direction.” - “The skills I learned at fair this year taught me that life doesn’t always go as planned and sometimes you have to find a new way.” Whether selecting and raising high-quality animals, capturing great photos or building robots, members continued to work on their projects throughout the year. Many said that the extra time at home allowed them to learn even more and spend more time on the projects. Regardless of the pandemic, the youth in 4-H continue to learn by doing, work hard, share their accomplishments with peers, and educate others.