Extension Update from Megan Burda: 4-H Celebrates Nebraska’s 150th Birthday with 4-H Clover Chase

Nebraska will commemorate its Sesquicentennial with a yearlong celebration throughout 2017 involving a wide variety of programs and events across the state. Nebraska 4-H youth and volunteers in all 93 counties will have the opportunity to join the Nebraska 150 Celebration by participating in the 4-H Clover Chase developed by Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development, in partnership with the Nebraska 4-H Foundation. The 4-H Clover Chase will run from March 1, 2017, until August 15, 2017.

The 4-H Clover Chase is an original event created just for those engaged in 4-H and the Nebraska 150 Celebration. We hope to build a link between 4-H members and the Nebraska 150 celebration. This interactive scavenger hunt will encourage a connection to Nebraska’s history and heritage while fostering a spirit of community involvement and enrichment. The most exciting part is that we will get to see Nebraska through the eyes of 4-H youth.

4-H Clover Chase participants begin by downloading an app that contains a list of over 25 specific challenges. Challenges include taking a photo of a local celebrity, a leading industry, the tallest building in the county, and many more. Each challenge has a point value. Submitting a photo on the app, gives participants the allotted points, the goal is to complete enough challenges to reach 150 points. The submitted scavenger hunt photos that will be displayed in the 4-H building during the 2017 Nebraska State Fair, and also on social media using #NE4HChase.  Participants have 150 days to complete the “chase.”

Each participant who completes the chase will receive a “4-H Clover Chase” commemorative water bottle. Everyone who receives a prize for completion will be put into a drawing to win a drone with video capability. The county Extension Office with the highest percentage of participation wins a free National Youth Science Day kit.

For more information about the 4-H Clover Chase, contact Nebraska Extension Educator Megan Burda at 402-362-5508 or at megan.burda@unl.edu or go to http://4h.unl.edu/clover-chase.

The Nebraska 4-H Youth Development Program strives to empower youth to reach their full potential working and learning in partnership with caring adults. 4-H programming is present in all 93 counties across Nebraska. To learn more visit www.4h.unl.edu.