4-H is a global network of youth organizations whose mission is to engage youth and help them reach their full potential in all aspects of life. The organization has been around since 1902, which explains why for so many people 4-H is part of their family tradition, reaching back to the days their grandparents were involved.
The opportunities 4-H grants youth across America are endless. I joined when I was 8, and now that I am older, I can honestly say that I can't picture my life without the organization.
Hands down my favorite part was exploring all of the outlets in which I could channel my creativity and passions, so since 3rd grade, I was actively involved in the arts and crafts project, the photography project, the dairy project, and the sewing project. That may seem like a handful of projects to complete by county fair, but trust me, there were kids that were involved in almost 10 different projects. When they say the sky is the limit, there were kids that definitely went beyond the sky.
When my friends at school would say "there's nothing in 4-H for me", I would laugh because you could name literally any project or hobby a kid would enjoy doing and I guarantee you 4-H would have it. How could they not?
When people ask me what 4-H "does" these are the things I tell them:
4-H encourages kids to express themselves and channel their energy into things they are passionate about.
I credit my choice of future career path to my 4-H club and leaders who encouraged me to try new things and explore all the opportunities associated with projects I loved. Without the direction of 4-H, I might not have found my niche, and even if I would have, I would not have known how to pursue my passion or where to channel it.
4-H allows kids to take charge and lead.
I learned how to be a leader and a team player. I was with kids of all different ages, and sometimes I had to listen and learn, while other times, I had to lead and guide those who were younger than me.
4-H challenges kids to step out of their comfort zones.
Whether is was public speaking, stage performances with a drama or a musical, or if it was attending 4-H conferences, workshops, or camps, 4-H offers kids the opportunity to try new things, some of which may seem uncomfortable at first. For me, it was public speaking. During my time in 4-H I participated in a LOT of public speaking. Some of it was required, some of it not, but I learned to love it.
Now that I'm older and see speaking skills as a necessity to success, I recognize that 4-H gave me a head start above my peers when practicing and demonstrating public speaking.
4-H provides kids with adult leaders that are passionate about helping each of them succeed.
The leaders adhered to the beliefs of 4-H and made sure us kids knew and followed the motto as well. Keeping 30+ kids under control isn't the easiest of tasks, especially when the kids are of different ages, from different schools, and from different walks of life. The leaders set good examples for us, and they created an environment that was safe, friendly, and inclusive.
Most importantly, 4-H has given me the opportunity to help others in my community.
Before 4-H, I never knew picking up trash on the side of the high way could be so much fun. Ringing bells was an annual day of fun, and on top of that, going around a nursing home caroling was a great way to spread some holiday cheer.
Some of my friends would ask me if there was a down fall to 4-H and overall, I would say no, but there was one that I really dragged my feet on and that was the required record books.
They sucked because of the over all work load, but to make them fun, I used extensive decorations and artsy designs to make the project more fun. Now I have a huge collection of scrapbooks that hold my many accomplishments throughout the years, which my mom can now use as a fast track to look down memory lane.
The 4-H motto is: "To Make The Best Better".
This means a number of things to me.
1. It means to make the best version of ourselves better.
2. It means to make others better than ourselves.
3. It means to make the world a better place for the greater good, not for our own good.
4. It means nothing is perfect, and even when we think it is, we can always make it better.
This mentality is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I plan to put it to use for the betterment of my club, in my community, my country, and my world.
