4-H: Difference between revisions

This article refers to the youth organization. "4-H Club" is also the title of a 1965 play by Sam Shepard

Sign announcing 4-H membership on a ranch in Larimer County, Colorado.

4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the Cooperative Extension System of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The four "H"'s stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. The organization serves over 9 million members in the United States from ages 5 to 21 in almost 100,000 clubs. 4-H clubs and related organizations now exist in many other countries as well; the organization and administration varies from country to country.

The goal of 4-H is to develop leadership, citizenship, and life skills of youth through mostly experiential learning programs. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H today encourages members to learn about many topics, such as geographic information systems, computer science, and public speaking.

History

The foundations of 4-H began around the start of the twentieth century, with the work of several people in different parts of the United States. The focal point of 4-H has been the idea of practical and "hands-on" learning, which came from the desire to make public school education more connected to rural life. Early programs tied both public and private resources together to benefit rural youth.

During this time, researchers at experiment stations of the land-grant universities and USDA saw that adults in the farming community did not readily accept new agricultural discoveries. But, educators found that youth would "experiment" with these new ideas and then share their experiences and successes with the adults. So rural youth programs became a way to introduce new agriculture technology to the adults.

A. B. Graham started one such youth program in Clark County, Ohio in 1902, which is considered the birth of the 4-H program in the United States. When Congress created the Cooperative Extension Service of the USDA by passage of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, it included within the CES charter the work of various boys' and girls' clubs involved with agriculture, home economics and related subjects. By 1924 these clubs became organized as "4-H" clubs and the clover emblem was adopted.

Newton County, Georgia, is known as the "Southern Home of the 4-H Club." Superintendent of schools, G. C. Adams began a boys corn club there in 1904. Jacksboro, Texas still lays claim to being the home of 4-H.

The 4-H motto is "To make the best better" and the creed is "Learn to do by doing."

Pledge

The 4-H pledge is as follows:

I pledge
My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service, and
My health to better living,
For my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Originally written by Otis Hall of Kansas, 1918

California 4-H adds "As a true 4-H member" at the beginning of the pledge. Minnesota and Maine 4-H add "For my family" to the last line of the pledge.

Emblem

The 4-H Name & Emblem have U.S. federal protection under Section 18 USC 707. This federal protection makes it a mark unto and of itself with protection that supercedes the limited authorities of both a trademark and a copyright. The Secretary of Agriculture is given responsibility and stewardship for the 4-H Name and Emblem, at the direct request of the U.S. Congress. These protections place the 4-H emblem in a unique category of protected emblems like the U.S. Presidential Seal, Red Cross, Smokey Bear and the Olympic rings. The official 4-H emblem is a green four-leaf clover with a white 'H' on each leaf standing for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. White and green are the 4-H colors. The white symbolizes purity. The green represents nature's most common color and is emblematic of youth, life, and growth.

Program

The above image shows a group of children working sheep. This is a common 4-H project.

4-H is a community of young people across America learning citizenship, leadership, and life skills. Though a large part of the foundation of 4-H is centered around agriculture, 4-H has grown to encompass many topics and opportunities beyond the confines of traditional agricultural topics.

The 4-H program aims to educate youth in arts and sciences, and to encourage fellowship and service opportunities. With continued urban sprawl, 4-H continues to develop new projects for its members to study beyond agriculture and animal husbandry, including photography, conservation, cooking, public speaking, history, art, and other pursuits.

The organization is often associated with summer camps, county fairs and state fairs. 4-H has spread out across the world, and regularly awards and sponsors the International Four-H Youth Exchange (IFYE), trips, and cultural events (see external links).

Although having embraced many new fields of endeavor over the years, 4-H retains a strong connection to its roots in agriculture and the associated values of thrift, invention, education, compassion, conservation, encouragement, service, and general happiness and well-being.

Camping

Every U.S. state runs its own independent camping program. 4-H camping programs in most states are run through land-grant institutions. Washington State University runs the Washington program, as Pennsylvania State University runs Pennsylvania's. The Georgia 4-H camping program boasts the largest youth center in the world, known as Rock Eagle.

Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center is a program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and has been offering youth affordable programs for 25 years. All the programs are designed to get kids outdoors, exploring nature in a safe and nurturing environment. Tanglewood specializes in traditional camp activities while presenting youth with additional opportunities in leadership development.

The first 4-H camp in the world was at Camp Good Luck in Randolph County, West Virginia.

The first state 4-H Camp in the world was held at Jackson's Mill outside of Weston in Lewis County, West Virginia. Jackson's Mill is the boyhood home of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

The Northern California 4-H Camp named Las Posadas has been in existence for many decades. It is located near Angwin, California and is home to 4-H camp programs from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties.

Native American imagery

For many years, Native American imagery was a fundamental part of the summer camping programs of several states. By 2002, Virginia and West Virginia were among the last states that continued to promote the use of Native American imagery. Following a complaint to the USDA, the Virginia Extension Service removed all traditions related to Native Americans, including the decades-long practice of dividing campers into tribes, either Mattaponi, Monacan, Pamunkey, or Cherokee (all tribes native to Virginia).

The West Virginia University Extension Service also decided in 2002 to discourage the use of any Native American imagery, but later restored what it determined to be "respectful" practices, such as dividing campers into Cherokee, Delaware, Mingo, or Seneca "tribes."

Collegiate clubs

Many colleges and universities have Collegiate 4-H clubs. Usually members are students who are 4-H alumni and want to continue a connection to 4-H, but any interested students are welcome. Clubs provide service and support to their local and state 4-H programs, such as serving as judges and conducting training workshops. They are also a service and social group for campus students. The very first Collegiate 4-H club started in 1916 on the Oklahoma State University - Stillwater campus. The National Collegiate 4-H website is: www.collegiate4h.org

Youngest members

Some regions offer programs for youth in grades K-3 called Cloverbuds, Cloverkids, Primary Members, or Mini 4-H. Most states prohibit this age group from competition due to research in child development demonstrating that competition is unhealthy for youth ages 5 - 8 years old.

All Stars

Many states have "All Star" programs, although All Star programs vary from state to state. Selection as a "4-H All Star" is a recognition of achievement. In California, it is the highest achievement award at the county level, and is a position awarded annually. In Virginia, on the other hand, All Star membership is open to 4-H members age 15 and over, and is considered a rank which promotes the continuation of the principles of the 4-H program.

Technology

The National 4-H Technology Leadership Conference was inspired by talks of three youth, Shelley Armour, Kristen Fitzpatrick and Steven Worker, in January 1999. Steven then drafted a four page memo proposing a National 4-H Technology Leadership Conference which was sent to various 4-H staff and supporters in January. A preliminary meeting, conducted through internet chat and attended by fifteen youths from across the nation, was held in the beginning of 1999.

After gaining support from National 4-H, including Virginia Gobeli and Tom Tate, along with CYFERNet, Trudy Dunham, and various other supporters, conference planning began. The University of Maryland, College Park, was identified as the location for a conference to be held from July 8-12, 2000. Six youths and six adults formed the planning committee. The committee conducted phone conferences, emails, and a face-to-face meeting in January 2000. A theme of "Leading the Way Across the Digital Divide" was established; workshops, Focus Teams, and State Action Plans were developed; recreation and assemblies planned; and delegate materials created.

Over 200 delegates representing 30 states attended the 2000 conference. Delegates participated in Focus Teams which concentrated on a particular topic, and "Teach How to Teach" workshops where they learned educational skills. State Action Plans were developed to set concrete tasks and goals to be accomplished after the conference.

The 2006 conference was hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. From July 24-27, youth from all over the United States came together to learn more about technology, science, and engineering. The focus areas that participants could choose from included: "Remote sensing", "Engineering the food we eat", "Learning Flash in a Flash", "Robotics 101", "So You Want to Become An Engineer?", "Lights, Camera, Action!", "Sports Science Technology", and "Help your Community Be Prepared".

Around the World

4-H and related programs exist in over 80 countries around the world. These programs operate independently, as there is no international 4-H organization. However, through international exchanges, global education programs, and communications, they share a common bond in 4-H.

External links

• National 4-H Headquarters Official 4-H website by the USDA
• 4-H USA Community website by 4-H youth
• National 4-H Council Non-profit partner of 4-H and the Cooperative Extension System
• 4-H at Curlie

National and international programs

• Collegiate 4-H
• 4-H World Atlas