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Nebraska Farmers Union |
1305
Plum Street • Lincoln, NE 68502 Contact
John Hansen Office: 402-476-8815, Fax: 402-476-8859, Cell: 402-580-8815 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nebraska Farmers Union Sponsored Youth Camp at Halsey 4H Camp August 6-9
Lincoln, NE. Nebraska Farmers Union (NEFU) held its annual
youth camp at the state 4H Camp in the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey. The camp theme was “Working Together To
Harvest Rural Opportunities”.
“We had sixty campers, eight junior
counselors, and three senior counselors, from family farms, small towns, and
Lincoln and Omaha. Youth camp is a
proud Farmers Union tradition.
Education is the base of the Farmers Union triangle, with Cooperation
and Legislation on the sides. All our
organizational activities include education and information. They were a great mix of kids to work with,”
said NEFU President and Head Camp Counselor John Hansen.
“Working Together To
Harvest Rural Opportunities” was a great theme because it helped us focus
on the need for everyone in the rural community to cooperate so we can achieve
far greater goals by working together than we could ever accomplish by working
alone. Our camp teaches self-esteem,
team-building, cooperative problem solving, and leadership skills to help
campers grow their individual potential.
We hope skills campers learn today will be used later in their life to
help our rural communities survive and flourish. We have tremendously talented people in rural Nebraska. We can accomplish amazing things when we
work together,” Hansen said.
The NEFU campers did not
let a little welcome rain stop them from enjoying outside activities that
included tubing down the Middle Loup River, swimming, target shooting, archery,
cooperative games, and “A Rendezvous With Nebraska Territory History” with Kris
Ganoung. Campers also enjoyed “Music
From Around The World” with Dave Marsh, a talent show, dance, and had classes
on the importance of Nebraska livestock and family farm agriculture, the new
NPPD Ainsworth wind project, parliamentary procedure, and the basics of
cooperative organization. “Our
cultural, historical, classroom content, games, and cooperative activities all
reinforce self esteem and new teamwork building skills,” Hansen concluded.
NEFU has conducted summer
youth camps since the organization was chartered in 1913. The Cenex Harvest States Foundation, Farm
Aid, the Nebraska Humanities Council, the Nebraska Farmers Union Foundation and
NEFU all provided support for this year’s camp.
Nebraska Farmers Union is the state’s second largest and oldest general farm organization representing over 5,300 farm and ranch families and the rural communities they live in. The mission of Nebraska Farmers Union is to improve the economic well-being and quality of life of family farmers and ranchers, and their rural communities.
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