News

Day Camp Brings Community Together

The growing Hispanic population in Nottaway County wasn’t participating in the broader community and the Extension agents wondered if they had the resources to change that. How could they encourage this segment of the population to become more involved in the community? They decided to play to one of Extension’s strengths, 4-H, and work with children in a camp setting. Thus, the Nottaway County Resident Hispanic Day Camp was born. The camp was a huge success and increased 4-H participation by 80 percent among the Hispanic community.

“This was a group of people that rarely ventured from their own community activities,” says Terry Abston, 4-H agent in Nottoway County. “Now they are joining local churches and participating in community events.”

The goal was to spread awareness of the county’s resources to Hispanic children, and in turn have these children share information with their parents. When the children returned home from camp, several families felt more comfortable participating in county events, becoming more active in PTA, and chaperoning field trips.

According to Abston, the camp has made the county more cohesive and increased community involvement from the Hispanic population. Community involvement was increased by camp activities that included meeting local law enforcement, nutritional education, natural resource activities, wildlife games, tree identification, citizenship education and leadership development. The activities gave children more confidence to try new things and meet new people. They also focused on helping children expand their activities during the school year and over the summer.

Nottoway County is planning to hold a similar camp in 2008. “Trust takes time, and we are developing that trust,” says Abston.