Two new disciplines have been added to the group of nearly 30 4-H projects in Tennessee, offering a wide variety of activities to enjoy while learning important life skills.
Photo credit: Michael D. Tedesco
Developing Ideas for Business
The entrepreneurship project is so new the subject matter’s curriculum is still in the review process.
That hasn’t stopped Extension agents and other leaders from introducing youth to entrepreneurship activities. For example, students in grades six through eight attending Junior High 4-H Academic Conference in June 2023 visited Gentry Mercantile in Maryville. They heard entrepreneur Barbara Gentry’s trajectory from farmer making lotion from goat milk to owner of a consignment store offering local, handmade, high-quality crafted items. “The students asked her a lot of questions, and she talked with them about the difficulties in starting a business,” says Becky Bowling, UT Extension specialist who is leading the entrepreneurship project.
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Students then took what they’d learned and developed their own ideas for a business or product. Working in teams, they presented their ideas in a format borrowed from the popular TV show “Shark Tank” where they answered questions from UT Extension specialists.
Bowling says “entrepreneurship” is a big word for the youngest 4-H’ers, so the first few years of the project will focus on defining entrepreneurship, researching past and present entrepreneurs, and discussing the pros and cons of starting a business. Youth then progress into more advanced areas, such as economics, accounting software, forming an LLC, identifying and reaching stakeholders, and other complex concepts.
Photo credit: Nick Bumgardner
Overall, the entrepreneurship project focuses on our nation’s free enterprise system and how to creatively build a business. Bowling says even within the Academic Conference’s intense but brief timeline, youth conceptualized clever business ideas, ranging from a vendor consignment mall specializing in cartoon characters to a sweet shop where both humans and their pets could enjoy a treat.
“I’m excited to see this project develop,” Bowling says.
Aiming for Life Skills
Tennessee was one of the first states to adopt shooting sports as a project, dating back to the 1990s, but the discipline only recently became an official 4-H project in the state.
“We received funding through Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, so now students can complete a portfolio in shooting sports, go to Roundup and compete, and participate in it as a full project area,” says Aaron Spurling, state specialist for shooting sports and project credentialing. “Before, it was lumped with other projects for project competitions like portfolios.”
Photo credit: Jeff Adkins
Throughout the project’s curriculum, youth learn safety and shooting techniques in the disciplines of air pistol, archery, muzzleloader, rifle, shotgun and hunting skills, which also includes wildlife identification, camping skills, tree stand safety and other outdoor skills.
Spurling says the program is not focused on developing champion shooters, but emphasizes positive youth development, as do all 4-H projects.
See more: Shooting for the Stars: 4-H Shooting Sports On the Rise
“We are addressing life skills as much as possible,” Spurling says. “Many of the competitions are team-focused, for example, so youth are learning about teamwork, goal setting, achieving goals and communication skills within their team. They also have volunteer mentors who help through their skills progression, whether they are shooting just for fun or going to a competition.”
Getting Them in STEM
Spurling is also the interim STEM specialist for Tennessee 4-H. He says STEM concepts are prevalent within shooting sports. As one example, students use tennis balls to learn about velocity and bullet drop.
Photo credit: Jeff Adkins
“We then do the math involved with asking questions like ‘if a projectile is fired at this speed, is it going to rise or fall? What will it look like in flight?’ And to answer those questions, we take a dive into some deep mathematical skills,” he says.
In fact, shooting sports is the largest 4-H project in the state.
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“We have more kids enrolled in shooting sports and more kids coming to competitions than any other project,” he says. “Without a shooting sports project, we’d miss a lot of kids who are really interested in the outdoors and learning about the educational portion of archery, rifle shooting or one of the other disciplines.”
He adds that Tennessee 4-H projects should be all-encompassing.
“We want to have something for everybody to enjoy and through which they can learn those life skills.”