The two girls had wilderness training within their local 4-H club, which the family credits with their survival.
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“This case in specific — it proves that 4-H is teaching lifelong skills,” said Alex Ryan, a Clark County 4-H volunteer. “There are specific projects in 4-H that deal with starting a fire in the woods, collecting water — Where are good sources of water? — tracking animals, different things like that that could help [people] in a situation where you might need them.”
Clark County is the birthplace of 4-H, which is a program that allows kids to “learn by doing” through hands-on activities. The county has one of the biggest chapters in the state, but Ryan said it’s clear that the core values and teaching strategies of the club have stretched across the country.
Just in Ohio, 4-H reaches more than 240,000 kids every year.
“We cover skills from risk management and problem solving all the way to health management,” he said. “A kid falling on the ground and scraping his knee all the way to something that may be a little more life threatening.”
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Fellow Clark County 4-H volunteer Alex Henz said a lot of times, learning life-saving skills like those used in the California missing girls’ case starts as a fun activity.
“You can really gain a whole variety of skills and knowledge,” Henz said.
Now a teacher at Global Impact Stem Academy in Springfield, Henz said 4-H has shaped his entire life.
The club has expanded far beyond just taking animals to the fair and now includes opportunities to explore rocketry and aerodynamics.
On Tuesday evening, Clark County 4-H jump started the 4-H season by hosting a kickoff event at the Clark County Fairgrounds. The event was open to anyone interested in learning more about the opportunities that 4-H has to offer.
For more information about 4-H, visit the OSU Clark County Extension at clark.osu.edu.
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