Emily, 14, joined the Aldergrove-based 4-H Woodlands chapter five years ago after she got to name a chicken. 

She has gone to the Chilliwack fair with her horses for as long as she can remember, but one year she came across a chicken booth. 

"The guy asked me if I wanted to pet his chicken, and I love chickens so I said yes. We were talking and he said his chicken didn't have a name, so he let me name his chicken," Emily shared. 

"Then I joined 4-H." 

4-H is a youth development program that provides classes and opportunities for youth between ages nine and 19 to develop leadership skills and gain hands-on experience with a variety of animals. 

"I love everything about 4-H. I love the people I've met, and the amazing opportunities I get to do with my dog [Bailey]... and I love that I get to help the younger members like how the older members had helped me, and that's such an amazing circle," Emily said. 

This year Emily has been working with her six-year-old pup Bailey to teach him to pick up a dumbbell, and this year at the PNE he surprised her and picked up a one-pound dumbbell for the first time. 

"He carried it the whole time. It was such a special moment," Emily said, noting that there was shared excitement among her fellow members. 

"4-H is such an amazing experience and everyone should try it at least once." 

Emily's goal is to make it to regional and then provincial competitions at 4-H Canada. 

Anabelle, 15, has gone to provincials twice and won her first time in 2022 for a project about mason bees. 

"My friend and I worked really hard all year on our project... it was a mason bee house called The Buzzy Airbnb, and we raised awareness about them," she shared. 

Last year, she did a project on vermicomposting and all about helping the environment and agriculture and sustainability through the use of various worm species to decompose food waste.  

Anabelle will be at several fairs across the Lower Mainland this year with her sheep and dog, and she's hoping to run for press reporter within 4-H. 

"I'm the president of our club, and I like helping the younger members, but I wrote a newspaper article once so I'm thinking of running for press reporter." 

Emily added that 4-H is open to anyone, and there are many projects to choose from beyond animals, such as photography, crafts, gardening, and arts. 

"It's a really great program, and you don't need an animal to join," Anabelle said.

Emily and Anabelle manned the 4-H booth at the Aldergrove Fair, with their dogs and fellow member Natalia and her bunnies. 

"It was really important to involve 4-H because it is on of the organizations in the municipality that doesn't have a lot of high profile attached to them, and with the rest of the community seeing animals and youth involved with animals we hope to have other people inspired," explained Amanda Smith, vice president of the fair.

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