Northern Voices: Kellie Jenkins on 4-H, Community and Growing Through Experience

For generations of young people in Vermont, 4-H has been about much more than ribbons, livestock and a few days at the county fair.

Behind what visitors see in the show ring are months of work, relationships built between young people and their mentors, lessons learned through both success and disappointment, and families and volunteers investing in the next generation.

For this edition of Northern Voices, I sat down with Kellie Jenkins to talk about 4-H in Vermont and what happens long before a young exhibitor steps into the ring.

Kellie works closely with 4-H youth and families in Essex and Orleans counties, giving her a front-row seat to the work young people put into their projects and the ways the program helps them grow.

Our conversation became an introduction not only to 4-H, but to a story I hope to continue following.

Listen to the Conversation

In our Northern Voices conversation, Kellie talks about 4-H, the opportunities available to young people, the role of families and volunteers, and some of what visitors can expect to see when 4-H members arrive at the fair.

Watch the full Northern Voices conversation with Kellie Jenkins below:

Beyond the Show Ring

One of the reasons I wanted to have this conversation before the fair was simple: when most of us encounter 4-H, we are seeing the finished product.

We see the animal in the ring. We see the young person answering a judge’s questions. We see the ribbon.

We don’t necessarily see everything that came before it.

That’s where I hope to take this story next.

Over the coming weeks, Northland Lens plans to spend more time with local 4-H members and families, including coverage surrounding this year’s fair. Rather than simply photographing the competition, I want to look behind the scenes at the young people doing the work, the families supporting them, and the community that has grown around them.

This Northern Voices conversation with Kellie is likely the first chapter of that continuing coverage.

Following 4-H Through the Fair — and Beyond

As additional stories and photo essays are published, I’ll add them here so readers can follow the series from the beginning.

Coming to Northland Lens:

• Stories from local 4-H youth and families
• Photo coverage from the fair
• A closer look at the work behind preparing and showing animals
• More of the people who keep 4-H going in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom

And I suspect the story won’t end when the fairgrounds empty.

There are 4-H members working on projects throughout the year, volunteers quietly investing their time, and stories worth telling well beyond fair week. I’m looking forward to seeing where those stories lead.

For now, it begins with a conversation.

Watch Northern Voices: A Conversation with Kellie Jenkins on YouTube.