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Urban youth urged to join

Parksville Qualicum 4-H Community Club welcomes new members
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Brittany Farrington and Sarah Hildebrandt staff the booth at Seedy Saturday.

It's no easy task to raise a cow in an apartment building and Kim Wilson doesn't expect anyone to do it.

But just because a young person doesn't live in a rural area doesn't mean they can't get involved with the local 4-H Club.

"Our program is great for both rural and urban kids," she said. "You don't need to have an animal project to be involved in 4-H."

Besides what one would expect with horses, sheep, rabbits, goats, poultry and cattle, young people from between the ages of six and 21 years can take part in projects such as photography, small engine repair and sewing, among others.

Regardless of what kind of project each young person opts to undertake, she said, they all get something very similar out of it.

"The motto is to learn by doing," she said. "All the meetings are run by the kids. The adults are just there for advice or to answer any questions they might have."

The leadership and organizational skills they learn under such a system, she said, goes beyond the agricultural community and can last a lifetime.

The program, Wilson said, is just starting for the year but she stressed people can join at any time. Meetings are held at the fairgrounds in Coombs, with each club having a different meeting time.

For more information about 4-H, phone the Parksville Qualicum 4-H Community Club at 250-757-8501.