During the week of June 17th – 21st, 61 Wirt County 4-H’ers gathered at Camp Barbe for a week of learning, teamwork, citizenship, and service. During camp, 4-H members participated in classes, group activities, recreation, informative assemblies, and youth leadership development. 4-H Camp is a unique experience for youth from 9-21 years old to work together and develop lifelong friendships.
A typical camp day begins with flag raising, breakfast and “Morning Movement,” an activity designed to get the campers up and moving at the beginning of the day. Next, campers attend classes on a variety of subjects including crafting, cake decorating, leadership, leather working, sewing, wood working, STEM, and food preparation. After lunch, campers participate in tribal duties, afternoon assemblies present ed by guest speakers, tribal meetings, recreation and meditations. Each day ends with council circle, an honored tradition where each tribe presents creative skits and songs they have developed throughout the day in hopes of capturing the Spirit Stick.
Each tribe is led by some of the oldest 4-H members and are known as the Chief and Sagamore for the week. In 2018, the tribal leadership was as follows: Seneca – Lance Sims, Natalie Wells; Mingo – Nicole Bailey, Mikayla Bailey; Delaware – Brooklyn Smith, Austin Dille; and Cherokee – Natalie Wells, Adeline Sims. These youths grew into their leadership roles during the week and each led their tribe to claiming the Spirit Stick.
4-H Camp is an opportunity for each participant to meet new friends, learn to be independent and feel like they are a part of something bigger. Camp is a safe place for kids to be themselves and learn new skills.
Many campers said their favorite part of camp is working together and making new friends. Whether it be tribal duties or rewriting a classic song to present to the rest of the camp, each camper dove head first into their role in their tribe and as a member of the camp. One example of this awesome display of teamwork is the camp obstacle course the campers planned and built throughout the week. This massive construction using recycled materials took up the majority of the barn at Camp Barbe and provided a great end of the week wrap up activity for the whole camp.
This year’s camp would not have been possible without the effort of the 24 adult volunteers who dedicated their week to providing the best possible experience for all of the youth involved. The members of the ‘Big Foot’ tribe worked tirelessly behind the scenes all week to ensure each camper learned and grew in a safe, caring environment.
Awards and Recognition
- Peyton Dye
- Kellie Shearlock
- Charles Wells
- Austin Dille
- Isabella March
- Adeline Sims
- Haley McKown
- Troya Browning
- Sydney Siers
- Lance Sims
- Isabella March
- Courtney Casto
- Head H: Nicole Bailey
- Heart H: Brooklyn Smith
- Health H: Lance Sims
- Hands H: Charles Wells