4-H offers life skills, no farm necessary

By NANCY MOORES, Extension cords
Published August 23, 2007

"Four-H is just for kids who live on farms." Have you ever made this statement? Perhaps your child has mentioned they had a 4-H program at school and you thought, "We don't live on a farm, so we can't do 4-H."

Nothing can be further from the truth. Any child between the ages of 5 and 18 can become an active, successful member of the Hernando County 4-H program. The 4-H is where we make everyday living a part of everyday learning. We welcome new families throughout the year, but this is the best time to join because our new program year begins Sept. 1.

What are those four H's? Members pledge their "head" to clearer thinking, their "heart" to greater loyalty, their "hands" to better service and their "health" to better living. They go a little further and pledge all four of these behaviors to benefit their club, community, country and world.

Our motto is "Make the best better," and our slogan is "Learn by doing." With more than 100 years of history, 4-H has many success stories to back up its philosophy, and there are programs thriving in all 67 counties of Florida.

What does it mean to learn by doing? Our goal is to help young people develop life skills related to effective communication, positive relationships, processing information, effective decisionmaking, leadership and a productive work and family life.

These skills are developed through hands-on learning experiences within the Experiential Model. In this model, youths have a concrete experience, share their reactions and observations, process what occurred, generalize what they learned to real-life experiences and then apply their learning to everyday situations.

While this may sound complicated, it is all done by having youths participate in an activity in which they have interest. For example, a poultry project would include keeping track of feed and care costs as well as income from the sale of eggs or chicks. Youths would record time spent on the project and number of viable eggs produced. After recording all these numbers for a year, they should be able to see if this is a profitable business, a productive coop of birds, something they are interested in continuing and whether this breed of bird is best for their goals.

Hernando County 4-H clubs are diverse. The clubs are the foundation of the program, and volunteer leaders are the key to making those clubs successful. We have clubs for youths interested in hands-on experiences with livestock, pets, sewing, shooting sports, clogging, crafting, wildlife management, forest ecology, horses and even Legos. Yes, Legos.

The projects become the vehicle with which we develop life skills. Leadership is also developed as clubs elect officers, conduct meetings, carry out fundraisers and perform service to others.

There are no enrollment or membership fees associated with becoming a 4-H member, and most clubs do not charge dues.

Many people ask about the amount of time and commitment required. The simple answer is: You get what you put in. Some clubs meet monthly; others semimonthly. Projects can take five weeks or five months to complete. Learning is an ongoing process, and the lessons continue to be applied well after the project is completed.

Youths can become involved in short-term speciality events outside of their club, or they can simply stick to the basics. Youths can compete on a county, district or state level, or they can choose to work independently and avoid competitions. Families can start off slow and become more involved as they become comfortable.

Now, you just need to take that first step and join.

Nancy Moores is the 4-H agent with the Hernando County Cooperative Extension Service.

[Last modified August 22, 2007, 21:16:09]