Imagine a club where youths meet weekly, participate in hands-on activities that spark creativity and innovation, and learn business components such as customer service and marketing. Throw in a food safety course from the state Dept. of Health and ways to incorporate Hawaiian values, agriculture, and local value-added product innovations into their business strategy. Top it off with a capstone project, a Keiki Open Market, where the youths showcase their vegetables, value-added products, and other inventions.
Welcome to Local Innovators and Future Entrepreneurs, or LIFE Club. The new program from Hawaiʻi 4-H is a partnership with Venture Lab and After School Alliance to bring high-quality youth programming to our community.
The 6th to 12th graders will learn about innovation, marketing, consumer science, public speaking, creativity, design, and problem-solving skills, explains Kathryn Eickstead of the Military 4-H Program. The Keiki Open Market will provide an opportunity to market their harvested local fruits and vegetables or innovative products they have developed.
“We hope to inspire and spark interest in agriculture and entrepreneurship in our future leaders in Hawaiʻi by offering a program that uses best practices in positive youth development, while having engaging and hands-on projects to learn from,” says Christine Hanakawa of Oʻahu County 4-H.
Join the LIFE Club! It is free and open to all youths in grades 6th to 12th. They meet weekly on Tuesdays 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Urban Garden Center.
For questions of to sign up, email Christine Hanakawa at chanakaw@hawaii.edu.
Watch the KITV4 coverage of LIFE 4-H Club.