Camp Rankin Continues Four Decades of 4-H Leadership

This summer, 200 4-H members will develop leadership skills and meet new friends at Camp Rankin, Nova Scotia's provincial 4-H camp.

Camp Rankin, which runs from June 30 to Aug. 2, welcomes youth age 9-15 and focuses on healthy living, leadership and skills development. The camp is on 60 acres of land at Cape George, next to the Bras d'Or Lakes in Richmond County.

"Programs like 4-H are a great opportunity and complement a lot of the other supports government has in place to help our youth be successful in life," said Agriculture Minister John MacDonell. "Leadership is an important skill that thousands of 4-H members have been taking away from this camp experience for 40 years and it benefits them in whatever career path they pursue."

"At Camp Rankin, you learn important leadership skills, like adapting to new surroundings, situations and people, learning to be flexible and co-operative and showing respect for others," said Nicole MacEachern, a 4-H member from Richmond County who attended camp and is now a counsellor. "Many of my leadership skills were learned through interactions with my camp counsellors, and I am now using those same skills as a counsellor."

Trained counsellors lead participants in traditional camp activities and 4-H skills sessions, such as canoeing, crafts, nature studies and water safety. Camp Rankin also features hiking trails and a beach.

"Camp Rankin is very popular with 4-H members and many summer staff are former campers," said Ruth Grant, senior agriculture leadership co-ordinator. "This year, members are encouraged to bring a friend to camp to promote the 4-H program as a great experience and to recruit new members."

Built by volunteers in 1972, Camp Rankin was the first 4-H camp in Atlantic Canada, originally created as a Centennial project of the Richmond County 4-H Leaders Council. More than 8,000 campers have attended the camp in the past 41 years. Camp Rankin is maintained by Richmond County 4-H Leaders Council.