Two of the newest 4-H clubs in the state have started in Scarborough and neither has a lot to do with the group’s traditional focus on farming or animals. Instead they are focusing on career exploration and history, also part of the group’s goals.

“The 4-H program has been around for 100 years and it’s about teaching kids life skills,” said Lisa Phelps, of the Cumberland County Extension 4-H Family and Youth Development.

Scarborough’s clubs were started by Cherie Porter and Tamara Konczal.

Porter has never had any previous experience with 4-H and little knowledge about farming or animals. But 4-H’s mission is broad enough that she was able to start a club focusing on career exploration.

Porter, who is a self-employed health care consultant, will utilize her skills in business to instruct the 10-student club on how to formulate a business plan from beginning to end.

At the club’s first meeting on Sunday, the club’s members, who are in fifth through ninth grades, decided they would like to develop a business plan for an ice cream shop.

“My goal is to teach them what a business plan is and how they would write one for an ice cream shop,” Porter said.

The class will involve a number of field trips and discussions with various people whose services are necessary in order to have a successful business.

The students will meet with bankers, real estate agents and even town officials to discuss zoning. Of course ice shops and producers also will be on the list and will provide students with an idea about the different types of products available.

Porter’s motivation behind starting the club is to show the students that a person can own a business without having a lot of up-front money.

“I think it’s more about having kids see the possibility that being a business owner is a realistic possibility,” Porter said. “Really the sky is the limit in you understand just how you go about it.”

Porter said 4-H has made many of its resources available to her that will be beneficial to her club. For example, there are people involved with 4-H who own an ice cream parlor and another family who makes their own ice cream.

The other new club in Scarborough is led by Konczal. Her club is called Dirigo Living History and is focusing on living history in the time period between 1740 and 1840.

Konczal has been previously involved with 4-H both as a club member and leader. Throughout her experience Konczal has enjoyed the organization’s mission and the confidence it provides children.

“The philosophy of 4-H is learning by doing and to make the better the best,” Konczal said. “It taught me I was able to do things. For a lot of people it lasts their whole lives.”

Konczal’s first 4-H club in Scarborough was focused on more traditional farming activities. She started it several years ago to give her children, who are home-schooled, an activity with other children. Additionally, she was able to utilize her semi-working farm on Beech Ridge Road as an instructional tool.

However, the club began to lose focus and was disbanded about two years ago. Last year she became interested in a living history group called The Ancient Ones, which studies life before 1840. She has attended some of the organization’s gatherings, which are essentially period camping.

Each club member will develop a personality from the time period and portray the individual as realistically as possible. The activities will include many aspects of life in the 18th century that are no longer popular, such as wood working, sewing and archery, all activities done in traditional 4-H clubs.

Dirigo Living History will hold its first meeting in November and will meet once a month. Her goal is to have a display at the Cumberland Fair next year.