Ottawa, Ontario, February 17, 2021 – 4-H Canada and BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions (BASF) are proud to announce their renewed partnership, which is designed to help youth leaders make positive contributions to their communities and advocate for important issues.

The renewed partnership is effective from 2021–2023. It will see BASF continue as the lead partner of 4-H Canada’s Community Engagement & Communications Pillar programming at both national and provincial levels via a three-year, $600,000 contribution agreement. The investment aims to engage more 4-H youth in building the skills necessary to share their passion and ideas to help build stronger Canadian communities.

“Throughout the first year of our partnership with 4-H Canada, we were constantly inspired by Canada’s youth – their drive to take action and inspire change within their local communities is admirable,” said Jonathan Sweat, Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada. “We’re proud to extend our partnership with 4-H Canada and continue to ensure today’s youth have access to the skills and experiences they need to thrive and make a difference in the world.”

The announcement comes on the heels of a successful first year of partnership between 4-H Canada and BASF. In 2020, the partnership supported 4-H Canada’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), the annual Show Your 4-H Colours campaign and provincial youth leadership programming in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. These programs will continue to be funded through 2023.

“We’re excited to renew our partnership with BASF, and to continue advancing our shared value of empowering young Canadian leaders,” said Shannon Benner, 4-H Canada CEO. “This support ensures youth are given meaningful opportunities to explore the subjects important to them and their generation and create a positive impact on the world around them.

"YAC has built my confidence to speak up and contribute in various settings, and I'm grateful for the amazing opportunities it has provided me," said George Meggison, Manitoba’s Youth Advisory Committee representative. "We're excited to have BASF's support to continue to provide these new opportunities to YAC members.”

4-H Canada and BASF Partnership

• BASF’s investment will continue to support 4-H Canada’s Community Engagement & Communications programming. This program empowers young people to make a positive difference in the world by volunteering in their local community and participating in globally-oriented initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• 4-H Canada and BASF’s partnership will also support 4-H Canada’s YAC as the national voice for 4-H youth in Canada and as contributors to the direction of 4-H operations and governance at the national level. As national 4-H youth ambassadors, YAC members bring their authentic voices to industry events, policy discussions, consultations and international conferences.
• The partnership includes support for Show Your 4-H Colours in November – the annual campaign that celebrates the 4-H movement from coast to coast. In 2020, thousands of youth members, leaders, alumni and supporters across Canada wore their green colours with pride for 4-H, posting to social media about 4-H, and raising funds for 4-H, which included a network of 4-H alumni within BASF who were proud to show their support.
• In addition to national programming, BASF’s investment will continue to support 4-H programming at the provincial level in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, and their own leadership development and ambassador opportunities for young people. More than 260 young people took part in these provincial programs in 2020.

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division:

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work – for farmers, society and the planet. In 2019, our division generated sales of €7.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

About BASF

BASF Canada Inc., headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, has over 1,200 employees at production facilities and offices located across Canada. BASF Canada is a subsidiary of BASF SE, and an affiliate of BASF Corporation. To find out more about BASF’s activities in Canada, visit www.basf.com/ca or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/basfcanada.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at http://www.basf.com.

About 4-H Canada

For over 100 years, 4-H Canada has been one of the most highly respected positive youth development organizations in Canada. 4-H in Canada has close to 23,500 members and more than 8,700 volunteer leaders. Our goal is to help young Canadians “Learn To Do By Doing” in a safe, inclusive and fun environment. We believe in nurturing responsible, caring and contributing youth leaders who are committed to positively impacting their communities across Canada and around the world. To learn more about 4-H Canada, please visit 4-h-canada.ca and follow our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

BASF Media Contact:
Tabetha Boot
Tel.: 403-461-1253
Tabetha.boot@basf.com

4-H Canada Media Contact:
Mike Sheeler
Tel.: (613) 316-5422
msheeler@4-h-canada.ca