Leadership: What Is 4-H All About?

Isn’t 4-H just about showing farm animals and growing plants?  What does 4-H have to offer someone who lives in the city?  Organizations of 4-H across America have a great deal to offer our kids such as learning about a wide range of subjects and activities.  It is not limited to just livestock animals and agriculture, but extends to photography, public speaking, and beyond.  4-H is about meeting friends and having fun while learning.  I love this experience my youngest daughter shares.  I have watched her blossom for the past 10 years.  Hannah has learned great leadership skills in 4-H.

 

The 4-H Power of Participation

By Hannah Stewart

“A good lesson my 4-H peers have helped me learn over the years is the power and importance of participation.  I learned this lesson at a 4-H camp this past summer, when I was working as a councilor.  I have been a councilor at 4-H camp for 4 years now, and the leaders at 4-H camp have told us every year that, “If you are having fun, the kids are going to have fun!”, or “When you participate, the kids will participate!”  If you sit on the bench and play the game, they are not going to play either.  I must set the example!

At camp the staff told us to wait down by the volley ball court for them before going to lunch. When we arrived at the volley ball court, the councilors immediately sat down on the picnic table.  With nothing to do, the campers started to get restless and complain.

I said to the councilors, “Hey guys, let’s play a game?”  They all looked at me and said, “No, it’s too hot to play a game and I’m tired.”  This was ridiculous excurse because, everyone was hot and tired.  Why were we there?  It was to take care of the kids, play games, and have fun!  Even though I was tired and didn’t feel much like playing game either, the kids needed to do something!  Listening to the campers and councilors complain was not fun.

As I got all the campers attention with lots of enthusiasm I said, “Hey guys let’s play a game!”  They moaned a little bit at first, but as I started to explain the game, they got excited.  I said, “The game, ‘Bull Frog,’ is the land version of sharks and minnows.  There is one person in the middle and they shout, “Bull Frog’, and everyone tries to run across to the other side without getting tagged.  If you get tagged you stay in the middle and help the other person tag the rest of the people.  You do this until one person is left and that person is now in the middle, and the game starts over.  The campers and I played a few rounds of “Bull Frog” before some of the other councilors came to play too!  The councilors and the campers that participated had a great time playing and didn’t want to stop.  The campers weren’t very excited about playing the game at first, but once we started they had a blast!

This is the lesson I learned from my 4-H peers and leaders: you have the power to influence the camper’s level of participation!  If you encourage the campers to play the game and set the example, then the campers have fun.  And in the process, I had fun.  I never really believed them until I tried it.  It was a well learned lesson”.

“Go, Hannah, Go!” I say.  I have watched her blossom for the past 9 years that she has participated in 4-H.  I have to tell you, that even though 4-H is about learning, growing, helping, making friends, and having fun, the greatest experience kids can learn to develop is leadership.  I encourage you and your children to join a 4-H Club in your community and start encouraging your child to develop leadership skills.  It will change your lives!!!!