Published: November 02, 2009 08:01 am      

Hands-on with 4-H

If you want to get your hands into something meaningful, 4-H can show you how. Want to learn to raise a goat? Train a dog? Rewire a lamp? Knit? Quilt? Clean a stream? Plant a tomato? Start a business? If you can think of it, there’s a good chance 4-H can provide you with the opportunity to learn how to do it.

That’s what makes 4-H different from other youth-oriented organizations. It offers hands-on experience based on what a young person wants to learn. That means a world of opportunities is available to experiment, hone skills, develop confidence and leadership abilities, and grow into a well-rounded adult. And opportunities don’t always begin and end on the farm. If you can think of it, chances are, 4-H can offer you the chance to learn it, no matter where you live or what your interests are.

It’s generally acknowledged that we retain 10 percent of what we read, 30 percent of what we see and 90 percent of what we do. With that in mind, 4-H offers members the chance to hone approximately 100 different skills, preserving the information in young minds by offering everything from bicycle safety to cooking to computer technology to veterinary science. Along the way, 4-Hers often discover interests that lead to fulfilling careers.

How can one organization offer such a variety? It’s done through a vast network of volunteers. Because it’s not possible for one person to be an expert in the variety of subjects 4-Hers are interested in, agents call on community members to lead groups of young people in new endeavors.

It’s a personal choice and entirely up to the member, which makes 4-H a very personal organization, designed in many ways to match a young person’s own specifications. You can grow a garden, hatch an egg, bake bread, cure a ham or conquer an obstacle course. You can act, build a birdhouse, start a business, shear sheep, take pictures, learn about electricity, test water or work on a tractor’s engine. You can decorate a room, sew or actively protect the environment. With 4-H, the sky’s the limit.

For more information about starting a hands-on project of your own or to learn more about all that 4-H offers, call the Madison County Extension Office at 623-4072. A free 4-H Youth Development newsletter is published monthly with all of the upcoming events, workshops, day camps and other activities for our youth.

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.