4-H: Serving youth in illinois for 100 years

by Michelle McNeal

The last century has brought about many changes in the world, and 4-H has been there through all of them, helping children to better serve themselves, their families and their communities.

The 4-H program traces its beginning to 1902. No individual is credited with creating it, but rather a collection of efforts. The program was founded over the course of a few years. It had its earliest start in Illinois when the actions of W.B. Otwell, secretary of the Macoupin County Illinois Farmer's Institute brought about the idea of bringing youth together in organized clubs. In 1899, Otwell gave small packages of seed to 500 area boys and instructed them to grow corn and make an exhibit for the next Farmer's Institute. By 1904 the word had spread and more boys joined the "corn club." Soon, 8,000 boys were growing corn for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.

The "boys only" club quickly spread throughout the state and soon an emblem was designed as a cloverleaf with an ear of corn in the center and the letter "H" in each of the three leaves. The letters stood for Head, Heart and Hands. As more youth clubs started appearing, the focus began changing, and livestock clubs as well as "girls only" clubs were started. As clubs changed, so did the 4-H emblem. The clover symbol as it appears today was adopted in 1911. The fourth leaf and letter "H" for Health was then added. The pledge was revised and currently reads as follows: "I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to better service, and my Health to better living...for my Club, my community, my country and my world."

4-Hers strive to improve their lives and the lives of others; their motto "to make the best better" reflects club members' feelings that there is always room for improvement.

Geraldine McGuire, a member of Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative, has made 4-H a part of her life. She was a member of the club as a child and has led The Neighborhood Guys and Gals 4-H group in Scott County for the past 46 years.

Throughout her lifetime commitment to 4-H, McGuire has seen many changes take place in the organization. "I began 4-H in 1934 when my mother was a leader. It was the only time I got to go anywhere except for church on Sunday mornings. It was wonderful. I learned to sew and cook. When I started out, there was a girls' club and you made a slip out of a feed sack and baked cookies and things like that. The projects were very limited then and if you wanted to have livestock, like I did, you had to join another club."

Photo courtesy of The Community Center. TJ Touhy participates in a watermelon eating contest at the Cook County 4-H Fair in July 2001.

Now, boys and girls belong to the same club, and can take on a wide variety of projects. More than 8 million youths participate in 4-H in the United States and 83 countries nationwide, with more than 371,516 members in Illinois alone.

Participants can take on projects in any of the more than 110 program areas available. These projects cover subjects such as science and technology, personal leadership, personal development, communications, expressive arts and environmental education.

Donna Lawson, cashier/receptionist for Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative is also a long-time participant in the 4-H program. She says the club "helped me to get along with other people and taught me self confidence."

Lawson and McGuire both say they decided to become volunteer leaders to give back what they got out of the program as children. But, each woman recognizes that they are getting something from the children in return for their work. McGuire and Lawson agree that watching the children grow and learn new things is the best part of being a leader. "You become very close to the children - they are a part of your life," says McGuire.

Children can join 4-H at the age of 8 and continue through the program until they are 18. Lawson says, "When you see the children work so hard and then earn a blue ribbon, you celebrate with them because you're so happy for them.

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You feel like you've accomplished something as well."

And she has accomplished something, she has participated positively in the life of a child, just as all volunteer 4-H leaders do. "We want them involved in things, we want them to learn to share and give, and to look out for others less fortunate," McGuire says. By participating in 4-H, young people gain "skills for living" in such areas as individual accountability, responsibility and leadership development. And the participants can take these qualities with them throughout their lives. "I don't believe I can name a 4-H participant of mine who has not gone on to lead a good life," says McGuire.

But McGuire and Lawson don't take all the credit for the success of their 4-Hers, they both say that parental support is very important. "If you don't have your parents behind you, you can't be a good leader," says McGuire.

But 4-H cannot succeed with just leaders and parents, it takes the participation of youth leaders, community support and the dedication of the University of Illinois Extension office staff to make the program such a success.

Jan Seitz, assistant dean and director of University of Illinois Extension 4-H Youth Development says, "The key to the 4-H program is the great partnership between volunteers, staff and young people. I see our volunteer leaders as the builders of tomorrow and the gold of our organization. In Illinois, more than 25,000 leaders give unselfishly of their time, energy and expertise just to make a difference in the lives of kids." Seitz says that volunteers spend an estimated 220 hours each year working with the 4-H program.

She also stresses that 4-H is not just a rural organization. "While projects and activities may vary, 4-Hers are as active in the inner city of Chicago as they are in the most southern part of our state."

Due to area differences, agriculture and livestock projects are not available to every 4-H group. But youth in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs can work with animals thanks to The Community Center in Palos Park, a working 60-acre educational farm.

Jennifer Shoemaker, farm programs education manager at The Community Center says, "A lot of kids from the city and suburbs think their food comes from Jewel, and so they come here and get in the pens with the animals and are able to learn about them."

Shoemaker is the overall 4-H leader at The Community Center, and each animal group has its own leader. 4-Hers begin by adopting a small animal, such as a chicken or a duck, and then move up to a larger animal such as a cow or a horse. The 4-Hers care for their animal and show it at the Cook County Fair each year. But the fair has to run their livestock judging a little differently than most county fairs. Because all of the animals present are from the same 4-H group, they are judged against each other. "The kids are judged on their knowledge of the animal, and how well they can or cannot control them," says Shoemaker.

The agricultural projects available to 4-Hers of the area may be unusual for city dwellers, but they are making a positive influence. "These kids are

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great kids. They like to camp out and sing songs. They could be, like a lot of suburban kids, hanging out at the mall on Saturday afternoons, but instead they are here walking with a goat." Though the camp is separate from 4-H, there is a lot of overlap and many 4-Hers learn about the club by coming to camp, and vice-versa. Shoemaker began coming to the camp herself when she was seven and later was involved in 4-H. She says her experiences in the club taught her a lot about being a leader. "The little kids in the club really look up to you and you become a mentor to them. They're watching you and want to be like you. You become very aware of your actions and learn how to become a leader." Because of her experiences, Shoemaker went on to major in Agriculture in college. She then returned to the camp to give back what she gained from her experiences there.

Herman Curtis, Jr. a 4-H participant in the 1950's, demonstrates how to clean a small electric motor.

Another camp in Illinois serving 4-H groups is the Western Illinois Youth Camp, served by Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative. Carol Funk, a member of the camp's board of directors and senior billing/payroll analyst for Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative, compares the camp to electric cooperatives, "The philosophy of the camp is almost identical to that of electric cooperatives in terms of improving the lifestyle of those in rural areas."

Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative in Winchester has contributed time and supplies to the camp. The co-op donated new appliances, rewired the cabins and dining hall, and upgraded other facilities. Bruce Giffin, general manager of Illinois Rural Electric, commented on the donation in a press release, saying, "The camp has been helpful to our members' children for 53 years and is an invaluable asset to the communities we serve."

Although the camp recently went through a name change and removed the word 4-H from the title, it is still closely associated with 4-H groups across the western part of the state. The camp focuses on learning the same way 4-H does. "The setting provides a 24-hour living and learning environment focusing on learning by doing methods," says Funk. 4-Hers learn many of their skills by doing hands-on projects, like working with livestock or doing chemistry experiments.

What began as a group of boys growing corn has grown into the world's largest youth serving organization. This year, the club celebrates its 100th year of successfully broadening the horizons of young people throughout the United States and the world. To help all members of 4-H have a say in the future of the group, a national conversation on youth development will be held in April. At that time, a report will be given to President Bush at the White House. In preparation of this event, 4-Hers in each county in America have come together to discuss 4-H issues in local and state conversations.

Matt Pangrac is part of the centennial conversations project as part of a strategic directions team that helps plan national 4-H objectives for the upcoming year. He has been involved in 4-H for nine years and is currently taking all the natural resource and public speaking projects the club offers.

Pangrac is confident these projects will help him prepare for a career in wildlife management or as a freshwater fisheries biologist. "I have continued in 4-H because I have seen the tremendous leadership and citizenship values that 4-H offers," he says.

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