Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking. You may not hear that word used very often but the fear is very common….except in 4-H alumni. 4-H excels in preparing youth to speak well and speak confidently. It is an important life skill that lasts a lifetime. 4-H staff and volunteers in Fulton,...

Kountry Kritters 4-H Club in Mason County is one of many 4-H clubs throughout the Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit that has made special efforts to connect 4-H club members with adults living in assisted living facilities. The University of Illinois 4-H youth development program recognizes...

Volunteers are the backbone of the 4-H program. Each year, University of Illinois Extension Fulton County 4-H selects two 4-H volunteers to recognize for their outstanding volunteer efforts. This year Crista Hartstirn of Fairview was honored as Fulton County 4-H Leader of the Year and Nancy...

A new program called 4-H Tech Changemakers was launched in University of Illinois Extension, Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit to empower youth to help close the broadband internet gap. This nationally led program is a partnership between Microsoft and National 4-H Council in which trained teens...

Local 4-H members showed their thanks to area farmers in a big way this season. The gift looks small but in reality, it comes with a life-saving message. Mason County 4-H Federation members recently partnered with the Mason County Farm Bureau on a holiday community service project. The 4-H members...

Building generosity in young people though community service has always been a pillar of 4-H youth development. University of Illinois Extension staff led the way to take community service to the next level. Throughout 2019, 4-H clubs in  Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties combined...

4G STEM Camp is a University of Illinois Extension camp for middle school girls designed to introduce them to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.  It is an engaging and successful camp for the participants, but its capacity is only 35 girls. Because of this...

Members of the Mason County 4-H Federation Club teamed up with local law enforcement officers to host a food drive as a service learning project. Using the 2019 county fair as a collection site, the goals of the club were to partner with other community volunteers and to collect healthy food...

Youth in 4-H who care for and show livestock gain technical expertise and develop important soft skills that will aid them in future endeavors. Fulton County, in particular, has a large number of youth enrolled in livestock projects. Fulton County is a big county. In square miles, it is the 8th...

How do cars learn to drive themselves?  That is exactly what twenty-five middle school students learned as part of the fourth annual STEM Academy put on by University of Illinois Extension Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit, Pearl Technology, Richwoods Township, Caterpillar, Tri-County Regional...