Clinton County now has a new 4-H Agent for Youth Development, as Junior Cecil began those duties officially on September 1.

Cecil isn’t new to the community, having lived in Clinton County most of his life, moving here from Tennessee with his family when he was one year old and has served in different capacities, including currently being a member of the Clinton County Board of Education, now in his second term, and a long-time member of the Albany Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department.

The 44-year-old Cecil literally did a career change, leaving a former position with the state’s probation and parole, to apply for and accept the full-time job as local 4-H agent, a position through the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

Cecil feels, however, that his former employment experiences and the help of volunteers in the extension office, will be an asset to his new position. “If you don’t have good volunteers, you can’t be successful,” the new agent told the Clinton County News in an interview last week.

Cecil is a 1989 graduate of Clinton County High School, obtained an undergraduate degree from Eastern Kentucky University and then Lindsey Wilson College, where he has degrees in Corrections and a Masters in Mental Health Counseling.

The 4-H agent position had been vacant for the past several months, and Cecil said his desire to help youth prompted him to apply. He went through an extensive interview process, including a final interview with the director of 4-H extension at UK prior to being officially hired.

Cecil noted that for the past several years he had worked with adults ,but wanted to go back to working with kids. “It’s always been my passion to work with youth,” he said.

The new agent feels there are a lot of aspects to the position and a lot of possibilities to bring more participation for children and young adults in Clinton County.

The primary job he feels will be coordinating events for youth, such as 4-H Camp and setting up a Youth Council to implement plans for as many events for youth as possible. “You learn by doing,” he said, and that is what he hopes to teach youth who participate in various 4-H programs.

Cecil said that 4-H helps teach self-reliance and teaches responsibility. He also noted that 4-H was the largest club in the United States.

He feels that with the continued support of schools and community volunteers, the 4-H youth program can continue to be successful, saying Clinton County was fortunate to have many volunteers and a supportive school district.

Cecil also noted some major past accomplishments of local 4-H youth participants, many who have competed and won at the state level. Recently, seven kids representing Clinton County placed third overall in the trap shoot competition and during the Kentucky State Fair, Clinton County 4-H had the only program that had a participant from every grade level in the speech competition, with one winning the state.

Cecil said the local 4-H Extension was beginning to plan for upcoming October events and would be publicizing those via fliers, newspapers promotions and radio. “I am aiming for some new programs and growth in participation among children and young adults,” he said. “We want to impact Clinton County in a positive way and see positive impacts on our kids.”

Cecil also complimented former 4-H Agent Brandon Pharis, noting he had implemented some positive programs that he would like to see continue and to expand upon. He added that different branches of 4-H clubs was also important.

Cecil said he was still in the learning process, but was very fortunate to work with the Extension Service staff, including assistant agent Linda Bell, who has been a great help, as well as Colby Guffey, the Agriculture Agent, and Christy Nuetzman, Extension Agent for Family Consumer Services.

“It’s all about putting the kids first and foremost. We are asking for community volunteers and hope to see more participation from kids and parents alike,” he said.

The new agent said if any parent had any ideas or programs they would like for their children, as a group, or even as individuals to participate in, to feel free to call him.

“It’s our goal to help each child be successful. Learning should be fun,” he said. “I will always welcome visitors,” he said.

Cecil and his wife Amy attend Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church. They have two children, James, 15, a student at Clinton County High School and Mollie, 13, a student at Clinton County Middle School.