Local 4-H educator wins national award

Megan Suehring, Shawano County 4-H youth development educator, received the Excellence in Camping Award from the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (NAE4-HYDP) during its annual conference Nov. 16 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Suehring and other 4-H educators were honored for their development of and leadership on the “Lumberjacks: Building Your Future” Camp in a Bag Program in summer 2020.

The purpose of the Excellence in Camping Award is to recognize outstanding effort in youth development through 4-H camping as related to practice, evaluation or research by members as individuals or as part of a team. In order to be eligible for the national award, the “Lumberjacks: Building Your Future” camp program took highest honors first at the Wisconsin Association of 4-H and Youth Development Professionals and then the Midwestern region.

Residential summer camp is a hallmark of many counties in northern Wisconsin, especially Shawano County. It was evident that a typical in-person camping experience would not be possible for youth during the 2020 summer, due to COVID-19.

To adapt, Suehring and her colleagues worked to develop a hybrid summer camp program featuring written curriculum with project materials, static video instructions and virtual campfires with all needed program materials assembled in a bag. “Lumberjacks: Building Your Future” Camp in a Box served nearly 1,000 youth from 400 families across the state.

A hybridized camp model was created to serve youth with and without internet access. Curriculum at an elementary reading level was provided with required materials. To support campers, instructional videos were shared; live “campfires” including guest speakers, interactive games and songs were hosted on Zoom; and a closed Facebook community was created allowing families to share camp experiences. This model enabled participants to form a community of learners.

The program included three camp days. Arts and crafts, astronomy, mindfulness, group and water-based recreation, wildlife ecology, physical education, camp cooking, music and career considerations were included. Families were encouraged to create their own camp space at home for the three days. Photos shared via the virtual community showed families camped in a variety of ways, from utilizing their living rooms to complete tenting setups in the backyard.

One educator contacted the Raptor Education Group, Inc. to ensure their programmatic efforts could be shared with youth statewide. Partnerships with private companies also enriched the educational experience, from a local maple syrup producer and distributor donating maple syrup samples and invited an educator to record the business set-up, to PONSSE, a family based company who specializes in cut-to-length forest machines and their information systems donating professional booklets that encourage youth to learn about forestry practices and equipment.

Colleagues collaborated to secure funds from local and statewide sponsors to ensure camp kits would be affordable for any youth to participate. At the very most, the camp in a box kit was $10 per base kit, due to financial support from sponsors such as the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation, the Lincoln County Safe and Stable Families Grant, Wood County Solar Project and several county and community 4-H clubs or committees.

Kits were distributed to youth enrolled at the Mohican Family Center and the Shawano Boys and Girls Club for free. More than 200 youth in Shawano County participated in this opportunity.