East meets west in 4-H exchange

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Published on Saturday, April 29, 2017

By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner

Just how different are 4-Hers from other parts of Canada?  This summer, 12 Neepawa area 4-H members will find out, as they take part in exchange with members from Amherst, Nova Scotia.

On June 29, the 12 east coast 4-H members will arrive in Manitoba for the first leg of the exchange. While here, they will be paired with a local member, live with them and their families and spend a week taking in the sights of Manitoba.  They will also help out at the annual 4-H Fat Stock Show and Sale, giving them a real Manitoba 4-H experience. 

From their arrival until their departure on July 8, the group will see attractions, which are expected to include the Forks, the Human Rights Museum, Minnedosa Beach, Hollywood Beach, the Carberry sandhills and Clear Lake. During their stay in Manitoba, the visiting 4-Hers will not only learn about what it’s like to live in Manitoba, they will also learn about local history, ecosystems and farming practices. Most of the activities have been suggested by members, who are also helping organize the excursions.

Normally, the exchanges allow for 10 members and two chaperones, but this year, the Neepawa group was able to get extra funding in order to have two additional members take part.  Members come from the Neepawa and Area Beef Club and Neepawa Belles, Beaux and Builders Club.  The participating members live in Neepawa, Gladstone and Langruth. Claire Beaumont, a Neepawa Belles member for about four years, said she wanted to take part in the exchange because it seemed fun and she’ll meet new people.

Josie Pedersen, who is in her seventh year in the Neepawa Beef Club, said that she’s excited to show the visitors Spruce Woods Park and also for them to help with 4-H activities.  She adds this year’s Fat Stock Show and Sale will be special, because not only will they have the visiting 4-Hers taking part, non-beef members from Neepawa will also be helping with the activities. There are currently plans for an entry into the team grooming competition including all of the exchange participants. 

On July 24, the 12 Neepawa area 4-H members and two chaperones will head east.  They don’t know exactly what their hosts have in store for them, but they are expecting to not only see Nova Scotia, but also New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. 

Both Pedersen and Beaumont are expecting things to be different on the east cost, including the food and dialect.  Pedersen said that most of their exchange twins come from farms in the country, which will be interesting to see. 

The majority of the cost of the airline tickets have been supported by the government of Canada’s Canadian Heritage department’s Youth Exchanges Canada.  This program supports a Canadian organizations in offering reciprocal exchanges for individual youth or groups of youth, generally between the ages of 12 and 17. The group has been fundraising to cover additional costs associated with the trip. Cheryl Beaumont, Claire’s mother and one of the organizers explained, “Our group has been overwhelmed by the financial contributions from the community.”  They have received honorariums for volunteer work and cash donations and they will also be selling pay what you pull tickets and grocery vouchers to help offset the costs.

While only 12 members will be participating in the exchange, members from all three of Neepawa’s 4-H Clubs, the third being the Neepawa Silver Spurs, will be participating in a 4-H afternoon this May. That day, they will be educating the community about the clubs, the organization itself and the programs they run to help build important life skills, such as public speaking, leadership and organization. They will also have information about how to join. As part of this outreach, they are also arranging to speak to local service clubs and businesses about their adventures and the organization itself.

On April 14, Neepawa area 4-H members picked garbage at HyLife in support of this summer’s exchange program. (submitted photo)