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Harper Swanson does not live on a farm or raise livestock, but she is actively involved in Weld County’s 4-H program.
She’s part of a new generation of 4-H Club members who live in cities and towns across Weld County and come from diverse backgrounds. For the past two years, Patrick Pulis, Weld County 4-H Program Associate, has helped expand 4-H programming and participation beyond rural communities and attract those in Weld County’s urban areas and schools.
Swanson’s mom, Jennifer, is thankful for this.
“We live in Windsor, and it’s great to see Harper and other children from urban areas of the county be able to participate in 4-H in a new and needed capacity,” Jennifer said. “It’s all about sideways learning – learning that expands on and goes beyond what our kids learn in school.”
4-H is a community of seven million young people around the world learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. Here in Weld County, more than 1,000 members span 32 clubs and are led by more than 260 volunteer leaders. Youth participate in several leadership, skill-building and fun events and activities annually, including exhibiting at the Weld County Fair, being part of livestock judging teams, attending camps, collaborating with fellow members and participating in speaking events. This further helps diversify and expand the county’s agricultural landscape for the future. Weld County brings in $2 billion annually from the sale of agricultural products, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, and the adolescences involved in 4-H are poised to continue this great feat. Pulis’ programming fits into this mix well as he is not only helping develop future leaders in agriculture and related areas, he is also increasing the understanding and awareness of Weld County’s agricultural industry for those involved, the general public and local decision-makers.
Pulis aids young people by helping them grow into true leaders in their community. To date, he has taught more than 2,770 Weld County youth about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), emerging technologies, coding and other programming topics. Harper and other youngsters have learned about the science of sound, embryology, terrariums, rocketry, energy, dairy production and recycling through fun, hands-on projects.
In 2020, Pulis partnered with The West Greeley Conservation District and Ag in the Classroom to put on a Pollinator Camp where 100 youth from Grandview Elementary in Windsor learned about honeybees, hummingbirds, bats, ants, butterflies and lady bugs.
“I love teaching these kids more about things they may be learning in school or things they’ve never heard of or done hands-on activities with,” Pulis explained. “Knowing that my programming is helping expand their minds and potential career paths, whether in agriculture or not, is very rewarding.”
Through an Imagine Science Grant, Weld County youth have been learning how to code. In April, 25 children and teenagers finished a 15-class program where they were lost in space and had to repair their spaceship using code to come back to Earth. Each, Harper included, learned how to assemble electronic parts, such as LEDs and switches, on a bread board, which was connected to a device that completed the instructions. Then, on the computer they created a code to make the pieces work and they traveled safely back to Earth. According to Pulis, it was a true immersion into problem solving and an introduction to programming. Participants were also given the chance to ask a programmer about his life and work. Harper expressed an interest in coding as a future career.
“I’m only 10, and I’m going into sixth grade in August, but I loved the coding activity where we typed out the code and circuits responded to the code we wrote,” Harper said. “Patrick’s class sparked my interest in becoming a robot scientist or astronaut. I think it’s cool I can be in 4-H and learn about agriculture and other things at the same time.”
By Shaley Dehner, Weld County Communications Specialist
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