Nova Scotia’s provincial 4-H camp will welcome 200 4-H members and their friends for a week of fun and leadership and skills development this summer.

Camp Rankin, which has weekly sessions from June 29 to Aug.

1, welcomes youth age 9 to 15, on 60 acres of land at Cape George, next to the Bras d’Or Lakes in Richmond County.

“The 4-H program is well known for developing strong community leaders,” said Agriculture Minister Keith Colwell. “For over 40 years, Camp Rankin has provided young Nova Scotians with an exceptional experience that gives them the skills they need to be successful in life and in work.”

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, it was the first 4-H camp in Atlantic Canada. More than 8,000 campers have attended the camp in the past 42 years. It was created as a Centennial project of the Richmond County 4-H Leaders Council and is still maintained by the council.

“Camp Rankin has been an integral part of my life since I was nine years old,” said Laura ten Brinke, assistant director of the camp. “The Camp Rankin experience helped to bring me out of my shell as a child and turned me into the person I am today. Camp Rankin helps children to develop and grow, fostering in them leadership skills, a taste for adventure, and teamwork abilities that will remain with them throughout their lives.”

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.

For more information, visit http://novascotia4h.ca/camp-rankin/ .

Source: Release