Youth in grades 3-6 from across southwest Minnesota gathered at Lake Shetek outside of Slayton, Minn., for a three-day, two-night 4-H camp in June.

4-H staff and trained high school 4-H youth counselors provide leadership for the camp activities. Youth participated in swimming, camp fires, cabin time, camp games and more. Youth also participated in four one-hour educational tracks including Geocaching, designing their own boat, engineering design with a team and fine arts.

Two Pope County youth who attended camp at Lake Shetek, Levi E. (left) and Eli J. (right) are pictured.

While it may have been the wettest year of camp, the counselors adapted many activities to give campers an engaging and positive experience while making camp memories, many of which may be unique to 2024! A huge thank you to the amazing hosts, Shetek Lutheran Ministries for sharing their space.

To learn more about 4-H camp and other 4-H learning opportunities, check out the website: extension.umn.edu/minnesota-4-h or connect with your local county extension office.

About Extension 4-H: 4-H is a youth development program of the University of Minnesota Extension. Available for youth beginning in kindergarten, 4-H’ers participate in hands-on learning experiences in STEM, leadership & civic engagement, animal science, creative arts and much more. Through 4-H’s learn-by-doing process, youth obtain essential life skills such as problem solving, decision making, coping and communicating that help them succeed in their school, college, community and career. Research shows that youth who participate in 4-H have better grades and are more emotionally engaged with school, are more than twice as likely to be civically active and contribute to their communities. Learn more at https://z.umn.edu/mn4h