My Club to Club Exchange to Alberta
In 2017 I was lucky enough to participate in a 4-H Club to Club Exchange to Consort, Alberta, and to this day that is one of my most memorable 4-H experiences…
Myself, along with eight other members from my association and two chaperones got to travel to Consort, Alberta. We started off our trip by meeting our host families and getting comfortable in our new homes for the week. Each of us were paired up with a “twin” who we lived with for the week. It was a neat experience for us from Ontario because our homes are all in town or on the outskirts of town where we have a quick drive to get groceries or don’t have to drive far to a city for a day trip. However, in Consort it was the norm to drive 2 hours just to get groceries! So, for us that really was the middle of nowhere!
During our time in Alberta, we visited the Drumheller dinosaur museum, went to Capt Ayr lake for a day, and even toured a honey and bison farm! Some of my favourite memories included going to a rodeo in Vermillion and spending a night in a cabin in Banff! There were endless opportunities to learn a little more about a new province and to interact with new people.
I think the most amazing part of this experience were the amazing friends and connections I made through this exchange. I still keep in contacts with many of the 4-H members from Consort and have even been back to visit them three more times! I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity and for the friends it has given me.
To any 4-H’ers considering participating in a Club-to-Club Exchange I would highly recommend going. It was an amazing opportunity that has benefited me in so many ways!