Cyndi's Two Cents

Always a 4-Her

Commentary.

I pledge my Head to clear 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.

I still do (pledge all these things), although I am no longer a member of a club. Once a 4-Her, always a 4-Her, right?

The first full week of October is National 4-H Week. I will always celebrate this organization that has been making a difference in the lives of young people for more than a century.

I was a 4-H kid. Growing up, 4-H was simply part of life. I had a wide range of projects and participated in all the citizenship and leadership programs available at the time. I never missed camp in the summer and went on to work on the staff at 4-H camp during college. In 4-H, you learn by doing. Sometimes you do things right. Sometimes you make a mess of things. And sometimes you learn more from the mess than you ever would from getting it right the first time.

That’s a pretty good life lesson, if you ask me.

4-H is about a whole lot more than blue ribbons, shiny trophies and whose steer has the highest rate of gain. It’s about responsibility. It’s about showing up when you don’t feel like it. It’s about finishing a project when you’d rather be doing something else and learning to shake hands with a judge whether you win or lose.

It’s about learning how to lose gracefully. That’s a skill some adults are still working on!

There’s a place for everybody in 4-H. Livestock, crops, cooking, sewing, robotics, photography, woodworking, public speaking – the list goes on and on.

You don’t have to grow up on a farm to be part of 4-H, nor do you have to plan on a career in agriculture. What you do need is a willingness to learn, try something new and maybe step outside your comfort zone.

Behind every 4-H member, there are adult volunteer leaders, parents, grandparents, and community supporters who give their time, energy and often a fair amount of money to help young people succeed.

They pull trailers, gather supplies, organize meetings, teach skills, offer encouragement, and serve as judges.

Those investments matter. The confidence a young person gains from giving a speech, completing a project, or taking responsibility for an animal can carry into adulthood.

And while some 4-H members will become farmers, veterinarians or agricultural leaders, others will become teachers, business owners, nurses, engineers, and community volunteers.

They’ll take those lessons with them wherever life leads.

The real measure of 4-H isn’t how many ribbons hang on the wall or how many trophies sit on the shelf. It’s what those young people learn along the way.

And if it helps raise a generation of responsible, hardworking, confident young adults who know how to work with others, handle disappointment, and get back up when things don’t go their way?

I’d call that a pretty good return on investment.

Once a 4-Her, always a 4-Her.