Justin Crowe, 4-H Director and State Program Leader

Last week in my article, I mentioned that Julie and I were on vacation out west. Our last day took up to North Dakota to the Standing Rock Native American Reservation where we got to visit my friend Sue Isbell, Sioux County 4-H Agent. This was my fist time on this reservation. I enjoyed getting to meet with two of the senior 4-H members, Anna and Lucas. They are active in leadership, entrepreneur, and gardening programs. The program assistant, Amber, works with youth programs, including entrepreneur programs where 4-H members design and make t-shirts to raise personal funds! The Sioux County program is outstanding. Sue and her team provide opportunities for youth and constantly seek grant dollars to expand their 4-H program. In fact, I have invited them to attend 4-H Roundup to network with our 4-H members and teach us more about their programs.
 
I have learned in this role that sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Just because another 4-H program looks differently than what yours looks like doesn’t mean it’s better or worse, it just means it’s different. I learned a lot during our visit to the reservation, and can’t wait to continue to collaborate with my friends on the Standing Rock Reservation in the future.