This October our daughter will be enrolling in 4-H for the first time. Growing up, I was not involved in the local fair or 4-H. I did however have many friends that were. It seemed as though they were always doing something 4-H related from being in various competitions to volunteering. I always admired the things they were doing and am so excited that my children will be part of such an amazing organization. There are many reasons as to why I want my children involved in 4-H but I have narrowed it down to my top five:
Volunteering in the Community– Kids do not need to be part of an organization to volunteer but 4-H strongly encourages volunteer work for 4-H youth. It’s one thing to do something with your parents, it’s another to do it with your friends. I love that there is an organization that gets youth together and actively involved in making their community a better place.
Hands on Learning- What better way to do learn something than to do it?!
I think those numbers speak for themselves. What better way for children to learn than to be hands on?!
Leadership Skills- Two years ago I was asked to speak to one of our local 4-H groups about using social media to advocate for agriculture. This group of kids were headed to the state capital to compete with other 4-H groups on how they would advocate for their chosen “issue”. Many of these kids were about to head off and do something that myself as an adult had never done, actively advocate for something that they believed in as well as compete and be critiqued on how they did it. I think if many of us would have had that type of experiences when we were younger, we might not feel so helpless when it comes to current issues facing our farms. We would be more prepared on how to advocate for our way of life and how to do so effectively. These skills can be carried into so many different professions not just agriculture.
Various Areas for Different Interests- It doesn’t matter what your child might be interested in, there is a variety of programs/activities for them to choose from:
- Environmental Science
- Engineering & Technology
- Plant & Animal Science
- Community Action
- Communication & Expressive Arts
- AND so much more!
Bottom line, you don’t need to have a farm/ranch to participate in 4-H nor do you need to own animals. Our local fair was filled with beautiful photography, baked goods, crafts and so much more by local 4-H kids.
Its FREE- Okay, that might not matter to you, but to a lot of folks cost does matter. This past summer our local 4-H groups had so many fun (FREE) activities for the 4-H youth. A couple of the youth events were a fishing derby and camping trip. All of this is FREE. How cool is it that kids get to go out and experience such things without the burden on cost for their folks?! Many of the things that are done could very well be things kids might not get to experience otherwise.
Our daughter would like to be a veterinarian when she is grown up. I would love for nothing more than to help that dream come true. One way I plan on helping is enrolling her in 4-H. The experiences and life lessons she will learn will help prepare her for adulthood but also for the many years of college she will have to complete to make her dream a reality.
I strongly encourage you to dig a little deeper in that the 4-H program is all about. Look up your local groups, see what activities and events they have coming up. I don’t think you will be disappointed, and your children will thank you down the road.
Krista Stauffer
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