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<br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: October 7, 2025 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-e <br /> <br />SUBJECT: 4-H Week Proclamation <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Cooperative Extension <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Proclamation <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Jonathon Smith, County Extension <br />Director, 919-245-2057 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation recognizing October 5-11, 2025, as 4-H Week in Orange <br />County. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: October 5-11, 2025, is National 4-H Week. It is promoted by both the National <br />4-H Council and North Carolina 4-H, and is celebrated in states and counties from coast to coast. <br />The overall goals of National 4-H Week are to promote the ways in which 4-H serves families and <br />youth in grades kindergarten through twelfth, and to promote the 4 -H “learn by doing” experiential <br />learning model that sparks youth interest in future careers, leadership, and community service. <br />Orange County boasts eight (8) community-based clubs from Cedar Grove to Carrboro and <br />continues to grow to meet the needs of Orange County residents. <br /> <br />Orange County Cooperative Extension, a partnership between Orange County Government, <br />North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, <br />continues to promote 4-H Youth Development as the premier vehicle for inspiring youth interest <br />in the fields of science, technology, engineering, agriculture, arts, mathematics, and more. <br />Orange County 4-H offers a wide variety of programming across the county, employing the <br />following modes of delivery: day and residential camps, school enrichment, afterschool <br />programming, and community-based clubs. Considerable research has been published to <br />highlight the role 4-H plays in helping youth thrive as participants and throughout life. Samples of <br />that research include: <br />● Arnold, M. E. & Gagnon, R. J. (2019). Illuminating the process of youth development: The <br />mediating effect of thriving on youth development program outcomes. Journal of Human <br />Sciences and Extension, 7(3), 24-51. <br />● Noble, R., Hall, K., Hensley, S., & Arnold, M.E. (2021). Aligning 4 -H youth development <br />frameworks with the 4-H Thriving Model. Available at: https://helping-youth- <br />thrive.extension.org/. <br />● National 4-H Council. (2023, January 1). What is 4-H?. 4-H. https://4-h.org/about/. <br />● Search Institute (2014b). The developmental relationships framework. Minneapolis, MN: <br />Author. <br /> <br />1