The president for 4-H in Saskatchewan has a keen understanding of the benefits 4-H carries for young people.
Glenn Gress has been connected to the Browning 4-H Club since he was a child. He started with the club when he was six years old, since his father was involved with the club, and been involved ever since. His three children, Stephanie, Kallan and Alaura, went through the program, and have now graduated from 4-H.
“For 43 years, I’ve been involved in 4-H, and it’s been great,” said Gress.
The southeast Saskatchewan resident was elected as the president of 4-H in Saskatchewan in March for a two-year term.
Gress loves 4-H and the way in which it enhances kids’ leadership and communication skills, and builds their connection to agriculture.
“It gives kids an opportunity to play good roles in adult situations, like with regular meetings and board meetings,” said Gress. “They basically run the meetings, so they learn how to interact with other people.”
For example, thanks to their time in public speaking, they’re now very comfortable talking in front of crowds.
“That’s one of the main things that I think 4-H does for a lot of these kids is speaking,” said Gress. “I’ve seen kids right from six years old right up to 21. Six year old kids are often so shy, but by the time they’re seven or eight, they’re talking in front of crowds that are 30 or 40, no problem.”
Beef club members learn how to judge cattle, as well as feeding and caring techniques for animals. Horse club members learn how to handle and understand horses.
Gress noted kids can also learn photography skills through 4-H. His oldest daughter, Stephanie, was an active curler, and met a lot of people who remain friends.
“Kids from all over Saskatchewan get to curl if they make it that far to provincials,” said Gress.
The organization also offers a lot of scholarships to Grade 12 students looking to enter post-secondary education.
When his children were going through 4-H, it brought back lots of memories of his time in the program. It also helped keep him connected to 4-H.
It appears 4-H will continue to be part of the family. Gress now has a grandson who is less than a year old, and Gress looks forward to when the child will be a 4-H member.
Gress has been involved with 4-H in many capacities. He has helped other clubs, has judged 4-H horse shows and been part of clinics. Fifteen years ago, he took a leadership role, first as a beef leader, and then with horse clubs. Four years ago, he joined the Saskatchewan board of directors as one of the southeast representatives.
Each of the four regions in the province has three directors. The provincial board of directors voted him in as president.
Gress has enjoyed the experience. He attended a global 4-H summit in Ottawa that attracted delegates from around the world, which allowed him to find out what is happening in 4-H nationally and internationally.
Serving as president also allows him to see what is happening with different clubs in the province.
“It really opened your eyes how many different things people do, different projects in different parts of the province. It’s not just animal related. There’s a whole bunch of different projects you can do. We have 65 different projects in Saskatchewan alone.”
Source : Estevan Mercury