4-H Canada Celebrates 2018 Hands to Larger Service Program with New Video

Ottawa, Ontario – October 23, 2018 – 4-H Canada, one of the longest-running youth organizations in Canada, is proud to announce the public launch of a new video “Creating Lasting Impact.”

The three-minute video shares inspiring stories of Canadian youth making a positive impact in communities across Canada through an initiative called “Hands to Larger Service.”

Hands to Larger Service is a new 4-H Canada program, funded through the Canada Service Corps by the Government of Canada and by corporate partner, McDonald’s Canada. Its goal is to promote community engagement and volunteerism, and to help create a culture of service for Canadian youth.

This past summer, 24 Youth Service Leaders were matched with 4-H Club to Club Exchange groups and travelled throughout the country to help plan, coordinate, and lead service projects in local communities.

The Hands to Larger Service video highlights two community service projects – one in Manitoba and the other in Nova Scotia – and showcases the collaboration between Youth Service Leaders, local 4-H clubs, volunteers, and community partners.

"We are thrilled to share this inspiring new video celebrating the amazing contributions of Canada’s 4-H’ers,” said Shannon Benner, 4-H Canada CEO. “The Hands to Larger Service program aligns perfectly with our new vision statement ‘thriving communities in partnership with youth leaders,’ and the video truly captures the essence of our mission: to empower youth to be responsible, caring and contributing leaders.”

In all, the 2018 Hands to Larger Service program produced 26 hands-on community service projects in communities across Canada.

“4-H Canada has always been committed to developing engaged and confident youth leaders with the passion and skills to create sustainable change,” said David Hovell, Chair of the 4-H Canada Board of Directors. “This is something we are proud to continue to deliver through exceptional programs like Hands to Larger Service.”

The program has already been renewed for next year. In 2019, 4-H Canada will select and train 30 Youth Service Leaders (ages 18 to 25) to co-create community-focused service projects across Canada during the summer. Applications to become a Hands to Larger Service Youth Service Leader are now open.

Watch the full video at youtu.be/Z2rJbrNC6nc.

To learn more about Hands to Larger Service, visit 4-h-canada.ca/handstolargerservice.

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About 4-H Canada
For over 100 years, 4-H Canada has been one of the most highly respected positive youth development organizations in Canada. 4-H Canada has close to 25,000 members and more than 7,700 volunteer leaders. Our goal is to help young Canadians “Learn To Do By Doing” in a safe, inclusive and fun environment. We believe in nurturing responsible, caring and contributing youth leaders who are committed to positively impacting their communities across Canada and around the world. To learn more about 4-H Canada, please visit 4-h-canada.ca and follow our FacebookTwitter and Instagram pages.

For more information, media may contact:
Jay Poulton
Director, Marketing and Communications
4-H Canada
613-759-1013 ext. 131
jpoulton@4-h-canada.ca