I am a 4-H nerd. I scour through St. Patrick’s day gear for 4 leaf clovers, dig through the kids section at JoAnn fabrics for craft ideas, and sometimes I’ve been known to buy profuse amounts of baby shampoo, oil, or other items that would make anyone other than someone who works with kids look a tad bit suspicious (it is all for 4-H Camp I promise). Some people might even say that I ooze 4-H. It’s a part of who I am, my upbringing, and my core beliefs. So when someone asks me what 4-H is, or why should my child join 4-H, I often need a moment to step back and look in from another perspective. I have found that I can always talk about the over 200 projects youth can choose from, or how we go to 4-H Camp, but truly for those who look at the youth development side – what can I offer for our children?
I have found five areas that I believe 4-H youth succeed in through their experiences in 4-H. 4-H youth have the opportunity to build work ethic, communications, leadership, proper data gathering, and problem solving. Other attributes could easily be argued, and the list can always change. I think these areas cover what is important for youth to know as they enter the workforce today, and become competent members of our community.
Through the next 3 weeks I am going to talk about these areas and how I feel 4-H nurtures these attributes for youth in our community. Not all the youth that I work with are always 4-H members, but the activities and events mentioned are in fact 4-H sponsored.
Work Ethic
In order to understand how 4-H builds work ethic, one must first define what a good work ethic would look like. To exhibit a good work ethic youth must be willing to take on tasks given (or even without prompting) that need completed. The quality of work should be to the highest of their skills, and be taken seriously, as well as be open to them working as a team. Youth that show good work ethic show discipline to get the job done without being distracted. Work ethic is something that can be innate, but is better demonstrated by trusted, caring adults (such as volunteers, and advisors). Youth of all ages can show a good work ethic to their best abilities, and given the appropriate responsibility can exhibit those traits to the best of their abilities.
4-H Clubs gather groups of youth together in a way that guides them through community service projects such as roadside cleanup, or helping local food pantries. Through the Chicken Barbeque many youth showed a strong work ethic in making sure meals were boxed and prepared for people who were waiting on them. Teen groups such as the Jr. Fair Board work vigorously during the summer months to help prepare landscaping surrounding the Jr. Fair barns in an effort to make the fair look as nice as possible. These projects allow youth to have positive adult (and teen) role models, and a chance to build their own work ethic. These youth are voluntarily doing these projects, with their peers. While they may be initially asked to work on something specific, I often find that they go above and beyond what is asked of them. While there is no 4-H project about work ethic, these youth show a strong work ethic in their activities completed. Work ethic is a skill that is learned from others – such as those positive adults and teen role models.
As youth graduate I find myself writing letters of recommendation or answering phone calls for references. One of the many things that I can write or talk about my teens is their work ethic. Employers want to know if they can get a job done, and if they will do it well. In a tough job market (even for college age youth) I am proud to speak highly of my youth with strong work ethics. I know that their skills exhibited in 4-H activities will transfer into the workplace.
Work ethic is something employers expect. Why not allow youth to build their skills with their peers, while having fun, and exploring 4-H projects? As you can tell, my pitch for 4-H often starts with the “4-H camp is awesome, and our projects are super fun” but can easily lead to how 4-H youth are found to be ahead of their peers in many skills by the time they graduate. For more information on this research you can go to http://www.4-h.org/about/youth-development-research/
As we explore all of the areas that 4-H develops youth in – I urge you to ask a 4-H member young or old about their experiences. As our community and youth’s needs change, we strive to also change to provide development in those areas that help them succeed. Chances are, you will get a story about how confident they were doing something because of their experiences with 4-H.
