Local Teen Garren Brathovde Dedicates His Time to 4-H and Community

thurston county 4h
Brathovde and other 4-H members show their sheep at the Thurston County Fair. Photo courtesy of Tami Brathovde.
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By Gale Hemmann

dairy queenHe may be young, but Garren Brathovde already has quite a few accomplishments to his name. A sophomore at Capital High School, Garren is a dedicated member of Thurston County 4-H. He raises goats and sheep and participates in several 4-H clubs. He is also involved in the upcoming annual 4-H Southwest District Teen Rally on November 7 – 9, 2014.

I met with Garren and his mother, Tami Brathovde, at the Tumwater Starbucks to learn more about Garren’s work with 4-H and the rally. Polite and thoughtful, Garren was enthusiastic to talk about what 4-H means to him.

thurston county 4h
Capital High School sophomore Garren Brathovde is an accomplished 4-H member, and is the third generation of his family to participate. Photo by Gale Hemmann.

Held by the 4-H Teen Club, the Teen Rally is a weekend of classes, social activities and leadership training for teens in grades seven through twelve. Each year, the location of the conference rotates. Garren is excited that Thurston County will be hosting it this year. The teens will get to meet other students with common interests from across the region. Held at the beautiful Black Lake Bible Camp in Olympia, the rally mixes learning and fun, making it something the teens look forward to all year (this will be Garren’s fourth rally).

The theme of this year’s Teen Rally, Garren tells me, is “Create Your Own Adventure.” You can choose from an amazing range of classes – topics range from improvisational acting to survival skills, robotics to food art. There are also plenty of purely fun options planned, like karaoke and indoor sports. The rally encourages teens like Garren to “create their own adventures” not just for a weekend, but in life, as they pursue their interests and gain new skills. As one can clearly see from Garren’s example, 4-H encourages youth to shape their own positive life paths.

Students play a role in helping organize the rally. Garren hand-drew the logo, and also helped come up with ideas for some of the classes. In talking with Garren, you can see how many ways 4-H has helped him develop his talents and self-confidence.

thurston county 4h
The Teen Club proudly displays the picnic tables and benches they helped build for the Thurston County Fairgrounds. Photo courtesy of Tami Brathovde.

Besides the Teen Club, Garren also participates in the 4-H “Know Your Government” program. It offers real-world opportunities for teens in grades 7-12 to learn about different aspects of government. The program involves completing homework and attending a series of classes. This year’s focus is on social media and “digital democracy,” which Garren says has been interesting.

Garren is involved in another unique 4-H program, the Interstate Exchange Club. Students from Washington visit 4-H members in another state for a week, staying with host families. The following year, the students from that state come to visit Washington and stay with the same students whom they hosted. So far, Garren has traveled to Kansas and Wisconsin through the program. He enjoyed showing students from Kansas around Seattle and Olympia, visiting the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and the Washington State Capitol.

A core aspect of 4-H is community service, and Garren has been involved in a number of volunteer projects over the years. The Teen Club recently built picnic tables and benches for the Thurston County Fairgrounds with the help of 176th Engineer Company of the Washington Army National Guard. The Lacey Home Depot supported the project by donating supplies.

This year is Garren’s eleventh year in 4-H. He got involved as a kindergartener. It was a natural fit: his mother and grandmother had both been active in 4-H growing up. Tami says she is pleased not only that her son is carrying on the family tradition but that he has learned so many new skills and his confidence has grown.

thurston county 4h
Brathovde and other 4-H members show their sheep at the Thurston County Fair. Photo courtesy of Tami Brathovde.

And, of course, a major part of Garren’s 4-H involvement is raising and showing animals. He started out raising pygmy goats, and now raises full-sized goats and sheep. He is a member of the Rochester Ranchers 4-H group (a sub-group of Thurston County 4-H). At home, he feeds and takes care of not only six goats and fourteen sheep, but a horse, a calf, and four dogs as well. (You can read about local 4-H members’ participation in last year’s Thurston County Fair in this ThurstonTalk article.)

Being active in 4-H, the Teen Club, and the Interstate Exchange Club keeps Garren busy. He is also a long-time member of the Boy Scouts (he is almost done with his Eagle Scout requirements) and an avid runner. He runs cross-country and track at Capital High School, and has competed in a number of local races.

When he’s not busy with all of these activities and school work, Garren enjoys drawing. He is also interested in graphic design and has designed posters for school events. He plans to study graphic design in college. Clearly, 4-H has helped him learn to accomplish any goal he sets his mind to.

Getting Involved in 4-H

Over 400 youth participate in Thurston County 4-H, which is made up of nearly 90 local chapters. There’s something for everyone in 4-H. Besides animals, there’s classes in art, cooking, archery, sewing, and many other subjects (Garren plans to take photography next).

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Garren and other Teen Club members enjoy an “ice-breaker” activity at a recent meeting. Photo courtesy of Tami Brathovde.

When I asked Garren why he would recommend other teens join 4-H, he said that there are many benefits. “You get to know other teens from all over, make new friends, and learn a lot about responsibility. You also build your confidence by putting yourself in new situations. And, it’s a lot of fun,” he says.

Teens who participate in the Know Your Government program can earn civics credits at some schools, and involvement in 4-H activities will give you plenty of skills and experience to put on your resume and college applications.

It’s motivated teens like Garren who will go on to shape our community as adults. Between this teen’s inherent drive and the skills taught by 4-H and his other activities, you can bet Garren Brathovde will go far in 4-H and beyond.

The Thurston County 4-H program is run through a partnership between the National 4-H Council, the Washington State University Extension program, and Thurston County.

Are you interested in getting involved in 4-H? The program is open to all youth from third grade through age 19. There are also programs for younger students. Find information about how to join here. You can learn more about Thurston County 4-H on their website and “like” them on Facebook.

 

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