How one Saskatchewan teen found his voice through 4-H

People often think they know what 4-H is.

Cows in a show ring. Sheep being walked around a pen by a kid in a ball cap, gripping the rope a little too tightly. A familiar part of rural Saskatchewan life.

But ask anyone who has gone through the program, and you’ll quickly learn that’s just one small part of it.

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In Langham, one boy found something inside 4-H that has nothing to do with livestock.

He found his voice.

More than livestock

In 4-H, kids don’t just learn how to raise animals or complete projects. They’re also asked to stand up and speak in front of a crowd.

It’s a mandatory part of the program in Saskatchewan: every member takes part in public speaking at the club level.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s confidence. Learning how to speak clearly, think for yourself and trust that your voice has value, even if it shakes a little with nervousness.

For some kids, it’s just another requirement.

For others, like Grayson Bigoraj, it becomes something much more than that.

4-H presented Bigoraj with many challenges. His communication and social skills were pushed by many of the activities available through his club. (Submitted)

Before the words came

Bigoraj was diagnosed with autism in Grade 2. In the years that followed, communication didn’t come easily.

“When he was first diagnosed with autism, it was a big struggle,” his mother, Candace Bigoraj, recalled.

“He was non-communicative. He was non-verbal. So we spent a lot of time trying to find ways for him to be able to communicate with us.”

For years, much of the family’s life revolved around helping Bigoraj find ways to connect with the world around him.

Eventually, words came. But conversation, confidence and social situations were still difficult.

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Through it all, his parents never doubted what he was capable of.

“We saw the potential,” Candace said. “We knew he could do it all. We were there to support him to learn.”

So when Bigoraj was 11, they started looking for something that might help him grow beyond the limits others often assumed were there — and beyond the limits he sometimes placed on himself.

His father Trevor had been part of 4-H briefly as a kid, and knew it wasn’t just about animals. It was about responsibility.

“‘Learn to learn to do by doing,’ that is the 4-H motto,” Trevor noted.

They found a local club. They reached out. And they were welcomed in.

The first step forward

What followed wasn’t easy.

Bigoraj’s first public speaking competition in 2019 is still something his family remembers clearly.

Most of all, Bigoraj remembers how he felt in the moments before he stood in front of the small crowd.

“I was completely nervous, and I was crying,” he recalled. “I just don’t want to do it.”

But he did. That first speech was about something simple — Lego.

“Lego was my favourite activity,” he explained.

It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t perfect. But it was a beginning.

And in 4-H, beginnings matter just as much as anything else.

Bigoraj is graduating from high school this year, and recently received an academic award for perseverance. (Submitted)

With each passing year, speaking in public felt a little bit easier for Bigoraj.

In 2020, he spoke about the Saskatchewan Roughriders — over Zoom, like so many things that year.

“It was a lot different,” he reflected.

Still, he showed up.

The next year, he spoke about paranormal experiences. Then the Second World War.

In 2023, he chose to speak about something closer to home — autism itself.

“I was super hyped for a speech about autism,” Bigoraj recalled. “It was personal. I talked about the symptoms, and what it is and what it’s like.”

But the message wasn’t just about his own experience.

“Well, it is not just about me, it’s about everyone who have it,” he explained. “I want to tell people that you’re not alone … that there’s many people with disability.”

For his parents, those moments weren’t just milestones in a public speaking competition.

They were reminders of how far he had come.

“I think for any kid, it’s amazing if they can get up in front of a large group of mostly adults and be able to speak in front of them,” his mother said. “For Grayson, it was something even more special.”

Grayson Bigoraj has delivered 4-H speeches on a variety of topics, ranging from the Saskatchewan Roughriders to paranormal experiences. (Submitted)

What she remembers most isn’t just that he spoke.

It’s that people listened.

“The group that he was in front of, they embraced him,” she said. “They gave him that opportunity to speak and really listen to him, including the judges. They did their best to try and understand what he was saying and gave him actually really good feedback.”

For a family that had spent years helping their son find ways to communicate, that moment meant everything.

Because confidence doesn’t come from being told you can do something. It comes from being given the chance to try.

Today, Bigoraj is graduating from high school. He’s looking ahead to Saskatchewan Polytechnic, where he plans to pursue a disability support professional certificate. Beyond that, he talks about maybe writing a book someday.

But he said there is one goal that is currently top of mind:

“My goal is to tell people in Saskatchewan, or later the world, you’re not alone. There is many people to help you. And the real goal is breaking through barriers.”

Years ago, standing up to speak felt impossible.

But today, Grayson Bigoraj isn’t just speaking. He’s making sure other people know they can, too.

The 4-H motto is “Learn to do by doing.” Bigoraj’s parents believe that outlook has helped shape their son’s life. (Submitted)