A new investment in 4-H Alberta will offer the province’s youth new opportunities to get into agriculture.
New support will help 4-H Alberta bridge the gap between urban and rural kids and develop safety and mental health programming.
Through Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) funding, the governments of Canada and Alberta are investing more than $731,000 over five years for three 4-H Alberta programs.
The Intro to 4-H program, the Agriculture Safety and Mental Health Workshop and the Senior Spring Symposium will benefit from the funding.
“For more than 100 years, 4-H Alberta has been dedicated to empowering youth with skills and experiences that last a lifetime, deeply rooted in agriculture and community. This new grant allows us to expand on that legacy – bridging urban and rural perspectives, sharing time-tested skills and inspiring the next generation of leaders in Alberta's agriculture sector,” said Kurt Kinnear, CEO, 4-H Alberta.
The Intro to 4-H program offers experience-based learning opportunities that build connections between urban and rural youth and local farmers and ranchers.
The Agriculture Safety and Mental Health Workshop is a new program that incorporates farm safety and mental health through experiential programs like equine therapy in a new hands-on learning opportunity for rural and urban youth.
The Spring Senior Symposium will expand on mental health education for youth in agriculture and address the stigma associated with mental health challenges in farming communities.
The grant is funded through Sustainable CAP’s Resiliency and Public Trust initiative.
In 2020, Alberta’s government committed to an annual operating grant for 4-H Alberta of $1 million per year for 10 years.