Hey everyone! It’s Meredith. I hope everyone has been enjoying reading all the blogs people have written about their incredible 4-H experiences. Sadly summer is quickly coming to an end, but I’m writing today to tell you all a little about one more of our state 4-H camps, Alpha II.

Alpha II is held at Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County and is for 4-Hers going into 5th grade up to the age of 21. The theme of Alpha this year was medieval so every day was planned to fit to the theme and our song even talked about ruling the kingdom.

There are many traditions that are unique to Alpha that are the highlight of many people’s week there. One of these activities is LEOs. LEOs stand for Leisure Educational Opportunities. They are your chance to choose from a long list of activities that fit every kind of personality. In other words, those of you who love sports can show your skills on the field, on the court, or in the sand. Those of you creative crafty styles can create anything you set your mind to. We are lucky enough to have a creativity lab a.k.a. “craft heaven”. You can find almost anything in order to make anything from a cute ankle bracelet to a tie dye t-shirt.

Another favorite of Alpha II are “grow groups.” At the beginning of the week, they separate the entire camp into all the different age groups and then those groups split into even smaller groups of about 10 to 15 people. You spend a good amount of your time with this group, learning about each other, playing games, and having discussion. This is a great place to make lifelong friends and also many peoples’ motivation to come back to camp year, for those few special people in their grow groups. I mean who else is going to understand you or relate to you any better than boys and girls your own age? You are going through the same times and you simply just get each other.

Alpha II is a chance to discover who you are, to step outside of your comfort zone, and live your life. Don’t ever pass up a chance to be you. I encourage all of you who do go to camp to keep coming back until you age out and then send in your information to be on staff. Those of you who are yet to experience 4-H camp, it’s never too late. Send in your registration next summer and I’ll see you there. I promise it will be the best week of your life.