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| Sep 09, 2010 - 02:52 PM |
Queen City News - Helena's FREE Weekly Newspaper |
Helena, Montana |
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When Spencer Gilchrist set about developing his ideal 4-H project, he thought it only made sense to incorporate his favorite activity. So when he walked into the office of 4-H Extension Agent Quinn Holzer and asked if he could work on starting a 4-H paintball project, he wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I thought the idea was great, but I wanted to make sure we were true to the ideals of youth development and building life skills, in addition to having fun,” Holzer said. “So to start with, I made Spencer really sell it to me and work on an overall plan with a focus.”
The result was a focus on developing teamwork, leadership, and communication skills.
“I knew from experience that these were characteristics of successful paintball teams, and I figured if we could find a way to work on them as we played, we’d not only meet the educational requirements, but we’d become better paintball players,” Gilchrist said.
So in the summer of 2006, a total of 14 4-H members piloted a paintball project. In order to get a better idea whether or not this project would actually build the skills identified, Holzer asked every participant to complete a survey on their experience. Thirteen of them filled it out, and every one of them reported having learned something, especially in the area of leadership.
Additionally, Gilchrist and Holzer took a look at the Internet to see what was happening with paintball. There seemed to be a sea of sites offering team-building paintball outings, and there was even a reference to a corporate training magazine that stated, “American corporations spend $800 million annually on paintball games.”
That kind of money and corporate activity seems a bit surreal in Montana, but in visiting with the 4-H leadership, then-president of the 4-H Council Beth Foster recalled having spent time playing paintball on a corporate retreat with her grounds maintenance team while working for an Indianapolis hospital.
This year, paintball has been added as an official Lewis & Clark County 4-H project. The opportunity to engage in positive youth development while having so much fun appeals to the ideals of 4-H and creates an exciting opportunity for local youth.
Klint Ferris, one of the participants this past year, is excited to see new members signing up for 4-H with this new project.
“I had somebody tell me they wanted to participate, but they couldn’t since they were unable to take an animal. Unfortunately, everyone still seems to think 4-H is only about animals, and there’s so much more to it. I want everybody to know they can participate in 4-H regardless of their background,” Ferris said.
4-H provides a variety of opportunities to youth ages 6-19. Paintball is limited to members age 12 and up. For more information on 4-H or the paintball project, contact the Lewis & Clark Extension Office at 447-8346.
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The Queen City News is published every Wednesday in Helena, MT, by Mossback Media, LLC.
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