In summer 2022, Tennessee 4-H students in high school and college had the opportunity to experience new cultures both at home and abroad. From the University of Hawaii to the village of Ntlhantlhe in Botswana, 4-H’ers broadened their experience of the world through service and education.

Dr. Ashley Stokes, dean of UT Extension, joined 16 state council members on a trip to Hawaii in June. Stokes, who was the state veterinarian at the University of Hawaii for six years, saw the trip as an opportunity to educate students on a range of topics.

“My experience in Hawaii is why we picked that location, because we could blend so many different educational topics into one trip,” Stokes says.

From island ecosystems to World War II history and Hawaii’s place in international politics, each day provided students with a new leaning experience and topics for discussion.

“I think it really helped them to expand their horizons, to learn about history,” Stokes says. “It was a wonderful location to talk about global issues.”

Students organized fundraisers to help raise money for the trip and stayed at the University of Hawaii dorms to cut down on costs. Keeping the experience affordable was important, according to Stokes.

“We want people to be able to have these kinds of opportunities,” she says.

Aloha, 4-H’ers

Addie Brooks, a senior at Claiborne High School in New Tazewell, had the chance to travel to Hawaii. Former 4-H Congress Speaker of the House, Addie is now the Secretary for State Council.

“The whole trip was just a cool experience, to see different cultures and how the agriculture there works,” Brooks says. “Getting to see the difference between there and here was a big part of the whole experience.”

The trip to Hawaii was an opportunity not just to learn, but also to teach and interact with other youth. Tennessee students gave presentations to military youth on their 4-H program and helped lead hands-on survival exercises.

“I was so impressed with our 4-H members because of the way they worked with those youth,” Brooks says. “It was just awesome to see our state council members interacting with and going through these exercises with the youth.”

The trip was also an opportunity to learn about different cultures in Hawaii, from the Polynesian Cultural Center to the Kualoa Ranch on Oahu. For Brooks, seeing different cultures in action was a lesson that she brought home.

“We have so many different unique people here in Tennessee, and we should all work together,” says Brooks. “That’s one of the biggest parts for me.”

Africa, Here We Come

Collegiate 4-H’ers had an equally immersive experience in Africa. While the 4-H World Summit in Tanzania had originally been planned for 2020, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Director and State 4-H Program Leader Justin Crowe, three student ambassadors raised money to organize a new trip, this time to Botswana.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” says Will Dalton, a senior veterinary studies major at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) who serves as collegiate Tennessee 4-H and FFA president.

Dalton, along with Carlin Cochran of the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM), helped lead a line dance workshop for children at the primary school in Ntlhantlhe. Both Dalton and Cochran were involved with the 4-H Performing Arts Troupe in high school.

For Cochran, now a broadcast and communications major at UTM, the trip to Botswana was her first trip abroad. Connecting with the children in Botswana had a profound impact on her outlook.

“It makes you rethink everything about your life up to that point,” Cochran says. “Seeing how they live and how we live, and how much we really don’t need of the things that we’re so accustomed to using.”

Club, Community, Country and World

Laura Grace Jenkins is in her third year at UTK majoring in food and agriculture business. In high school, she served as the 4-H State President and says that her background with 4-H was a major asset while in Botswana.

“Even being able to stand up in front of a bunch of kids and instruct them on something as simple as friendship bracelets, I gained those skills through 4-H,” Jenkins says. “I definitely think it’s something that I bring with me every day.”

Each year, Tennessee 4-H partners with a Botswana-based organization called Dream Academy, whose focus is teaching and empowering children through soccer. While Botswana previously had a program like 4-H called 4-B, funds for the program dried up during the pandemic. Jenkins hopes that the country will be able to rebuild its 4-B program as a possible sister program to Tennessee 4-H.

Dalton plans to return to Botswana next year to help organize the new program. Along with his fellow student ambassadors, he recognizes the impact 4-H has had on his own life and hopes to share it with others.

“All these experiences I’ve gained in 4-H have prepared me to be able to go into a community like that and teach them,” Dalton says. “I was just a shy country boy from rural East Tennessee, and 4-H really got me out of my shell and made me into the person I am today.”