New 4H club in qathet region focuses on animals

A new club will be available to qathet region youth beginning in January 2022. Sunsetters 4H Club will be led by Becky Steiger, who relocated to the area in March of this year, and Nicki Havener. 

Steiger’s daughter and son, now aged 15 and 18 respectively, have been involved in 4H clubs for several years and wanted to continue their involvement after moving here last year. 

Among other things, the new club has a focus on animal care and husbandry. Club members can work with llamas, guinea pigs or rabbits.

If members don’t have these animals available to them, the club may be able to help them find an animal to lease or purchase.

4H members will learn about training animals for packing, obstacles and showmanship, according to Steiger. They will also learn about tacking and grooming and the record keeping that goes along with it. 

Members who don’t have access to animals, or aren’t as interested in working with animals, can participate in the club but with a focus on photography. 

“They would work on a photography project and create a display board,” said Steiger. 

In addition to learning about animal care, members also learn other valuable skills such leadership, team building, community involvement and public speaking. Members can compete in speech competitions, possibly making it to a regional level, and even earn credits for grade 10 and 12. 

The club is open to youth from ages six to 21, however, members would be split into age groups. Registration begins this month and monthly meetings will begin in January. 

“We’re open to having new volunteers as well; additional leaders would be welcome, too,” said Steiger. “The more leaders we have, the more opportunity there is for participants.”

Annual fees, meeting spaces and dates are still being worked out, but Steiger and Havener are available to answer any questions, help potential members find access to animals, and even help with the registration process.