The last few weeks I was searching for a few leadership-based activities to do with the Ambassadors at their March meeting. I found some great activities that the teen youth would be able to relate to so I was excited to share them with the group at their meeeting last night. When they arrived, I had them start working on the first activity - making a box that would lead to a discussion on personal strengths and weaknesses. Then when Emily and her friend Kristin walked in, the meeting went from good leadership activities to a great educational experience.
Emily walked in and said to me, "This is my friend Kristin - she is in 4-H in Norway." Wow! It's not everyday this happens!!! So in the middle the personal strength and weakness activity, we went from talking about leadership to Norway. Kristin, a very entertaining speaker, talked about Norway 4-H, the country of Norway, and some of her experiences in Minnesota. She is staying in Hartland with some friends of her family - she has been here since the end of February and will leave in May.
So what is 4-H like in Norway? Very different from Minnesota 4-H. Kids can start 4-H when they are 8 and be in it until they are 25. Each 4-H year, they pick one project ... and only one! They work on their chosen project all year. Then, they take their project to an event in the fall where they show a judge their project and a book that goes along with the project (probably similar to the 4-H records we fill out). The judge then either passes or fails them. One project Kristin completed was about socks. She explained that she never wears two socks that are the same during the day. So each day she took a picture of the socks she was wearing and put it in an album. She passed!!!
Kristin explained that it is somewhat difficult to fail your 4-H project - she shared that her first year she had no clue what she was doing and her project was about cooking. She showed up to the judging event with nothing and when she saw that everyone else had a project with them, she quickly called her mother and told her to bake a cake and bring it to the event. Kristin laughed and said she passed that year, even though her mom did her project!
Emily walked in and said to me, "This is my friend Kristin - she is in 4-H in Norway." Wow! It's not everyday this happens!!! So in the middle the personal strength and weakness activity, we went from talking about leadership to Norway. Kristin, a very entertaining speaker, talked about Norway 4-H, the country of Norway, and some of her experiences in Minnesota. She is staying in Hartland with some friends of her family - she has been here since the end of February and will leave in May.
So what is 4-H like in Norway? Very different from Minnesota 4-H. Kids can start 4-H when they are 8 and be in it until they are 25. Each 4-H year, they pick one project ... and only one! They work on their chosen project all year. Then, they take their project to an event in the fall where they show a judge their project and a book that goes along with the project (probably similar to the 4-H records we fill out). The judge then either passes or fails them. One project Kristin completed was about socks. She explained that she never wears two socks that are the same during the day. So each day she took a picture of the socks she was wearing and put it in an album. She passed!!!Kristin explained that it is somewhat difficult to fail your 4-H project - she shared that her first year she had no clue what she was doing and her project was about cooking. She showed up to the judging event with nothing and when she saw that everyone else had a project with them, she quickly called her mother and told her to bake a cake and bring it to the event. Kristin laughed and said she passed that year, even though her mom did her project!
Kristin recited the 4-H pledge in Norwegian for us and then translated it. It is not the exact wording of the pledge that we use here in the United States, but it still is based on Heads, Heart, Hands, and Health. Very cool!
4-H in Norway does not have livestock shows like we have here in the United States. The Ambassadors gave Kristin an introduction to 4-H Animal Science and explained how some of the various livestock species are shown and the prep work it takes to get the animals ready to come to the fair. Thanks to Nick and Natalie, our 4-H Ambassador poultry experts, Kristin now knows that a judge wants market ducks to be meaty and uniform. The sharing of experiences and the education that was passed from Kristin to the Ambassadors and the Ambassadors to Kristin was absolutely outstanding.
When asked about the differences between Norway and Minnesota, Kristin shared that it was amazing to go to a Wal-Mart and be able to buy everything from shoes to candy. Products are less expensive here than in Norway - and much bigger too! Kristin told how on her first trip to Wal-Mart, she was looking for a small bag of jelly beans, but was amazed to see they didn't have any small bags - just really big bags! However, the oh-so-friendly Wal-Mart greeter was a shock to her upon her arrival into the store. Kristin said she was taken aback by the man standing at the door saying "Hi. Welcome to Wal-Mart." She said she wasn't sure if she had done something wrong or gone through the wrong door, but she was assured she was just being greeted!!
Our warmest sincerity and appreciation goes to Kristin for sharing her experiences with the Ambassadors last night! Her presence at the meeting and discussions with the Ambassadors truly enriched the meeting and made for a fantastic lesson in citizenship and friendship. Thank you, Kristin!! We hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Minnesota!
