Annual Kevin Grant Tour Teaches 4-H Members Leadership Skills

Ten Nova Scotia 4-H members are participating in the 4th Annual Kevin Grant Rural Youth Leadership Tour from March 12 to 14. The young people will meet with other 4-H members, and visit several farms, businesses and historic sites in Lunenburg County.

"Events such as this help young people from rural Nova Scotia appreciate the richness and diversity of our province, said Agriculture Minister John MacDonell. "This program provides young Nova Scotians with an opportunity to get to know one another, exchange ideas, and consider future careers in different parts of the province."

4-H members between the ages of 15 and 17 are selected for the tour through an application and interview process. During the three-day event, they learn about a specific region in the province and are introduced to community leaders and the area's resource-based businesses and employers, and participate in tours with a business, agriculture and industry focus.

The leadership development tour is held in a different part of the province each year during March break.

The 4-H members participating in the 2012 Kevin Grant Rural Youth Leadership tour are:

• Emma Batson, Lawrencetown, and Valerie DeLong, Melvin Square, Annapolis Co.
• Meghan Martin, Shelburne
• Scott Withrow, Centre Rawdon, Gillian Davidson, Newport Station, and Ella Lentz, Mount Uniacke, Hants Co.
• Areta Boone, Westville
• Emily Sitser, Alton, Colchester County
• Aedan Crouse, Elmsdale
• Kenzie MacNeil, Cloverville, Antigonish Co.

Kevin Grant was a long-time 4-H member and public servant who supported the Nova Scotia 4-H program. His legacy lives on through a fund that provides an endowment to the Nova Scotia 4-H Foundation to help with rural youth development. The foundation developed the tour in his honour.