Cornell Cooperative Extension of Yates County has announced that Yates County 4-H is a recent recipient of an ONYA grant to support youth art programming in Yates County.
The Ontario/Yates Fund for Women and Girls (ONYA) aims to inspire and advance philanthropy that funds non-profit programs to foster personal growth and economic self-sufficiency among women and girls throughout Ontario and Yates Counties. Each year, ONYA awards grants to agencies and organizations for programs that address education, intervention, legal assistance, and other relevant solutions that help women and girls become independent and self-sufficient.
The Yates County 4-H program was awarded $4,894. Funds will be utilized in 2024 to partner with the Art Studio @ 126 Main in Penn Yan to provide a minimum of 10 low-cost, hands-on art classes for enrolled Yates County 4-H members. 4-H first partnered with the studio in 2022 after receiving art funding via the Rochester Area Community Foundation. CCE says class participation exceeded their expectations, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They added after the initial partnership, CCE knew this was a project that needed to continue.
Workshops will be open to enrolled 4-H members and their adult parents/mentors. As a result of parent interest in many of the topics previously provided, parents/guardians/adult mentors are encouraged to participate in workshops alongside youth members, providing the opportunity for family involvement and positive youth/adult relationships. Feedback from past programming included a request for mom and me art classes, which we are looking forward to providing.
This project supports a small, local art studio operated by two female artists, Crissy McGinnis and Macy Hall. Both instructors work with youth and adult participants, helping each fdHabitat Worind their own creative talents while teaching basic art principles, encouraging participants to explore their talents, improve their skills, foster problem-solving, and increase their self-confidence. Their personality and the creative environment of working in a real art studio have resulted in youth returning for as many workshops that will fit their schedules. Additionally, each participant can attend a workshop at a reduced rate, create a project they are able to take home, and are often sent home with supplies to continue creating at home. Over 90% of our adult participants are female and attend along with their children/grandchildren/nieces and nephews, providing a fun, engaging, creative, and hands-on environment for youth and adults to explore, learn, and create together.
4-H is the largest out-of-school youth organization in the country. Starting over 100 years ago, 4-H has changed and adapted over time to reach increasingly diverse youth audiences and interests. Yates County has an active 4-H program, providing opportunities for young people to grow into competent, caring, and contributing community members.
In Yates County, 4-H reaches over 1,400 young people each year. Yates County Cornell Cooperative Extension provides in-school, afterschool, and summer youth programming opportunities with our local school districts, libraries, and additional youth-serving community partners. The traditional 4-H program consists of enrolled 4-H members (5-19 years old) learning citizenship, leadership, and life skills that will be carried with them into adulthood. In Yates County, the most popular program areas include animal science, food and nutrition, fine arts and crafts, leadership development, and community service.
For more information on the Yates County 4-H Program, follow us on Facebook at Yates County 4-H, visit us online at http://yates.cce.cornell.edu/4-h-youth, or contact us at 315-536-5123 or [email protected]
