4-H grows future investors

4-H is much more than the county fair or doing farm activities. Many do not realize that many 4-H programs and experiences can and do occur outside of the traditional club and fair exhibition activities where 4-H has a long history. 4-H is about gaining life skills and as part of the overall Purdue Extension program, Extension is a lifelong learning partner.

Purdue Extension is excited to present 4-H Grows Future Investors as a family project whereby adults and youth can gain knowledge, experience and confidence when managing personal funds.

This program uses the $mart Indiana Stock Market Simulation online program to provide the opportunity to invest and compete with one another in fund trading games using actual fund information, but using simulated funds. If you make a mistake, thankfully you might lose the game while not losing actual money and learning about investing.

Too often, individuals are too scared or feel too uninformed to make investments or know what do with retirement funds that one begins to save/earn early in a career.

Now more than ever, individuals can invest funds and personally manage without having large amounts of funds to initiate an account. To be clear, this program will only teach you about the investing process and accessibility to information. We will NOT be pushing any products, funds or providing any investment advice.

Long term, a personal goal is to have a group of youth who have experience in actually managing an investment account to make decisions with actual money as part of a club experience. There are examples of universities and schools which have these opportunities and youth gain a great deal of life-skill experience.

An orientation meeting which will start a game competition that will run through May will occur at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18. The virtual meeting will provide further details of the program with its options.

This activity has the option to be a family activity. The game can also include other family members, though a youth must be enrolled for other family members to be involved. Register at https://bit.ly/35lOQhD for the orientation meeting to kick off a group by Feb. 1.

Finally, don’t forget about 4-H scholarship opportunities. The Indiana 4-H scholarships can be found at https://extension.purdue.edu/4h/Pages/scholarships.aspx to find requirements and eligibility. These scholarships are due Jan. 25 and 4-H’ers will use their https://v2.4honline.com/ account to submit applications. There are statewide completive awards for youth in grades 10 through the year following high school.

Pay special attention to two new Putnam County-focused scholarships. These include the Louis and Mary Luzar 4-H Scholarship Endowment (Senior Scholarship) of $1,000 for a current Putnam 4-H high school senior. Also, a new Beverly Torr Memorial Scholarship is being set up for a 4-H’er who has excelled in the fashion revue or sewing project activity. The Putnam 4-H Junior Leader senior scholarship will also continue in 2021 availability.

The Putnam County 4-H scholarships administered locally by the Putnam County Community Foundation can be applied for using the Putnam County Community Foundation website www.pcfoundation.org online application process. The Putnam 4-H scholarships include the Brookshire 4-H Scholarship, the Darrel Thomas 4-H Scholarship, Putnam County 4-H Livestock Scholarship and the Putnam County General 4-H Scholarship. Like all Putnam County Community Foundation scholarships, these are due Jan. 18 by 5 p.m.

Check www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam to view the most up-to-date info. Readers can also contact the local Purdue Extension office at 653-8411 for more information regarding column topics or to RSVP for upcoming events.

Upcoming Events

Jan. 12 – Grow Your Farm Operation – virtual eight-week program – 6:30-9 p.m., $100, register at https://tinyurl.com/GYFO2021

Jan. 13 – Wild Eats: Cooking for Flavor and Safety-Venison – virtual – 2-3 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/wildeatswebinar

Jan. 14 – Succulents: Water-Storing Beauties – virtual – 2-3 p.m., register at https://tinyurl.com/succulentgardeningputnam

Jan. 18 – 4-H Grows Future Investors orientation meeting, sign up at https://bit.ly/35lOQhD

Jan. 18 – Deadline 5 p.m. to submit Putnam County Community Foundation scholarships including 4-H; contact Mark at the Extension office if help desired

Jan. 20 – First Steps to Succession Planning – virtual – 12:30 p.m., pre-register at https://tinyurl.com/WIAWebinar

Jan. 20 – Putnam 4-H Junior Leaders meeting (check email for details)

Jan. 21 – So You Inherited a Farm – virtual two-night program – 6:30-8:30 p.m., $25, register at https://tinyurl.com/inheritedfarm

Jan. 25 – ServSafe Food Managers online exam, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., $65-$115, register at https://www.purdue.edu/servsafe/workshops

Jan. 25 – Indiana 4-H Foundation scholarships due; contact Mark at the Extension office if help desired

Jan. 28 – Putnam SWCD and Extension annual meeting – virtual – contact Extension office for details