by Heather Kent | Oct 1, 2015
4-H began with agriculture in 1902 and over the past 100 years has grown to help youth learn about everything from agriculture to aerospace.
4-H began with the seed of an idea. In 1902, America needed folks to embrace new advances in agriculture. But leaders with open minds, strong hearts and willing hands weren’t in abundance. Luckily, kids were. By empowering the next generation to lead, 4-H took root, and grew. 4-H grew kids who are confident and strong; who are curious enough to question and capable enough to find the answer. We grew kids who stick to a job until the job gets done; who know how to work with others and most importantly, how to lead.
Over the century, 4-H has kept right on growing. We grew out of the farms and into the towns, suburbs, and cities. Today, 4-H exists anywhere curiosity roams and confidence thrives; anywhere technology can be advanced and achievement is valued. 4-H is anywhere positive change is possible and giving back moves entire communities forward.
When you think about it, it makes perfect sense that we began with farming. After all, true leaders aren’t born- they’re grown. Next week (October 4th-10th) marks National 4-H Week. This year, to celebrate, our blog will highlight how 4-H is growing Confidence, Curiosity, Compassion, Character, and Responsibility by sharing the stories of real Florida panhandle 4-H members, volunteers, and alumni. We hope that you will enjoy this series and that you will be inspired to make a difference in your community by sharing your skills, talents, and passions with other 4-H youth and volunteers. We hope you are inspired to cultivate 4-H so that it can keep right on growing for the next 100 years! For more information about 4-H, visit http://florida4h.org or contact your local UF IFAS County Extension Office.
by Marcus Boston Jr. | Jun 26, 2015
Most of us are familiar with the need for our teens to become more independent, better communicators, and to develop good decision making skills. A quick scan of the news headlines can really make one wonder about the future of our community, country, and world. This post will help relieve your anxieties! One of the ways that the Florida 4-H Program is successfully addressing this need is through our summer camp counselor program. 4-H Camp Counselors have the opportunity to learn valuable leadership skills while at the same time have a positive effect on the lives of many children. Counselors wear many hats during camp, sometimes serving in the role of a parent, role model, confidant, counselor, nurse, and mediator all in one day. The task of sharing the impact teen volunteers make as counselors was not very difficult since this is a role I have personally seen materialize while working as an 4-H extension educator. There is nothing more rewarding then to watch a child grow up starting out as a home sick camper, then developing into a confidence camper, and later becoming a responsible and dependable teen camp counselor.
A recent study in Wisconsin measuring the impact of being a camp counselor resulted in the following: Teens were asked “What is unique about being a counselor?” and “What skills have you develop as a result of serving as a counselor”? The top eight skills identified included (in order of ranking) leadership, people skills, communication, patience, responsibility, teamwork, problem solving, and planning. They also reported that this experience will help them prepare for their careers because of the skills they have learned (Forsythe, Matysik, and Nelson).
An individual study done on teens that have served as camp counselors in Leon County from 2005 – 2013 showed the top skills the teens gained by serving as a camp counselor were leadership, patience, how to work with kids, and cooperation. Several teens stated that their experience has helped them to decide on what to study in college as well as what career path they would like to pursue. To bring it home and narrow the focus even more our Sr. Counselor application includes the following question: “How have you personally benefited from being a counselor?” All seven responses from our senior counselors can be summarized by the following statements:
“I’m more responsible and have made life long friendships”
“I have learned leadership skills and how to handle stressful situations”
“I’ve learned how to make campers have fun”
“It’s taught me how to communicate better and made me more outgoing”
“I was hired at my current job because I told my employee I was a camp counselor”
Research has clearly shown that the camp counselor experience provides an excellent opportunity for teens to gain leadership skills that are proven to build much needed life skills that will help them later in life. To find out more about 4-H teen leadership programs, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office. If you have skills or experiences to share with teens to help prepare them for a future career, consider becoming a 4-H Volunteer. We offer a variety of volunteer roles based on your interests and schedule.
We hope you have enjoyed this month’s series on 4-H Summer Camp. Next week, a new series on summer safety will begin as Yolanda Goode shares firework safety tips! Your opinion matters to us- please take this short survey to provide feedback to help us improve this blog https://ufl.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3gtLKjqia3F75QN.
by Whitney Cherry | Apr 17, 2015
Dr. Williamson helping a 4-Her at a show
There are many reasons why 4-H has stood the test of time for more than 100 years. In addition to its link with land grant universities, 4-H is family friendly and available in every state and every county in the US (and even some foreign countries like Korea, Cuba, Germany and Italy). In fact, you can be a lifelong participant in 4-H- first as a youth member, then as a collegiate 4-H member, and later as an alumni or volunteer. Dr. Reese Williamson is a great example of how to turn a 4-H experience as a youth into a lifelong passion. She joined 4-H in 1974, in McKean County, Pennsylvania and was active in horse clubs, livestock clubs, downhill ski clubs, and even a square dancing club! As a teen, she fine-tuned her communication and leadership skills as a member of the 4-H County Council, which later led to a summer internship as the 4-H Assistant to the County agent. “My 4-H Extension Agent in Pennsylvania was a motivator and wrote recommendation letters for me for college and vet school,” says Dr. Williamson. “I have been involved in 4-H since 1974 with the exception of the five years while I was in vet school. As soon as I moved to Florida, I looked up my local county Extension Office to become a volunteer.”
When asked why she decided to extend her 4-H involvement as a volunteer, she says “I enjoy that there is a place for everyone [in 4-H]. I enjoy sharing the joy of learning and of livestock and horses with youth. It’s important that youth know where their agricultural products come from, that they respect animals and the impact they have on the environment. I want them to have a positive experience with horses and other animals.”
Dr. Williamson with members and alumni of her 4-H club
Without volunteers like Dr. Williamson, many youth would not have opportunities to learn about agriculture or develop life skills such as responsibility, confidence, and compassion. She shares, “It’s challenging to be a youth volunteer in today’s society. Most youth are from single-parent families. Children are living in two homes with multiple parents and grandparents often creates scheduling conflicts, but we must put the children first- they are the priority. It’s important to me to never disappoint or extinguish a child’s enthusiasm. If a child works towards a goal, it’s important that they are not prevented from completing that goal because of a scheduling boundary.”
Dr. Williamson’s passion for helping youth has had a tremendous impact on the Okaloosa 4-H Program over the past 25 years. Many of her members have become teen volunteers and later, as adult 4-H Alumni, come back to volunteer.
Kyle Godwin, an Okaloosa 4-H Alumni says, “Over the years of being in Dr. Williamson’s 4-H club, both as a member and then as the Club President , she laid many building blocks for me from public speaking to proper animal husbandry. She is always willing to go out of her way to help a new kid get started raising animals.” Another 4-H Alumni, Nathan Moores, shares: “Dr. Williamson has been a dedicated volunteer throughout my 4-H experience and we are blessed to have her. She has gone out of her way to help me and my fellow 4-Hers with our projects, whether it was husbandry questions, vaccinations, or health certificates.”
Do you have a passion or skills that you would like to pass on to the next generation of parents, employees, civic leaders, and decision makers? Dr. Williamson’s advice to anyone considering getting involved is: “Step up and volunteer! With 4-H, you can have a positive influence on our next generation of citizens. It is definitely worth squeezing the time into your schedule.” You don’t have to be a 4-H Alumni or a veterinarian to volunteer. 4-H needs caring adults from a wide variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. For more information, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office, or visit http://florida4h.org/volunteers.
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by amgranger | Apr 14, 2015
Brad and Stacey at the 1995 National 4-H Meats Judging Contest
Stacey (Ditty) Warden joined the Lovedale 4-H Club at the age of ten as a shy girl not knowing just how drastically 4-H would impact her life. She joined upon the recommendation of her aunt, who had just started working at the Extension Office as the new 4-H Secretary. One of Stacey’s first projects was poultry judging. A few years later, she met her future husband, Brad Warden, while attending the 4-H Ham and Hog workshop in Gainesville. Stacey and Brad showed cattle and participated on the 4-H Livestock, Poultry and Meats Judging teams at the county, state and national levels. They attribute their success to supportive parents as well as their former 4-H Agent, Shelia Andreason, who now works for Alabama 4-H. Shelia remembers their determination and dedication, “4-H was a safe place for kids to learn how to compete in a competitive world. Brad and Stacey easily mastered the vocabulary, points to evaluate, and steps to give a logical set of oral reasons and were able to transition from one judging topic to the next. I am very proud to see them coaching judging teams for Jackson County as alumni of the program 20 years later!”
Brad and Stacey also transitioned from childhood friends to teenage sweethearts. They married soon after high school graduation and have been married 18 years. They have two children, Hayden and Eden. Today, their son Hayden shows steers and participates in poultry, livestock, and meats judging. Eden is not yet old enough to join 4-H, but is a ‘future 4-Her in training.”
Last year, Brad and Stacey decided to start a 4-H club so that other youth (including their own) could benefit from 4-H the same way they did. “Kids need an outlet to learn about agriculture and livestock and we wanted to continue the strong tradition of livestock judging in Jackson County.” Their passion for 4-H is contagious. Their club is one of the fastest growing clubs in the county, with nearly 50 members. “It was a real eye opener to see how many youth and parents were attracted to learning about livestock. Many of them had never owned an animal or participated in a judging contest before joining 4-H. We were amazed at the response we got,” said Stacey.
One of the reasons that this club is so popular is because Brad and Stacey are passionate advocates for 4-H. They are quick to share why learning about agriculture is still relevant today, despite a decrease in the number of “farm kids.” Stacey shares, “Jackson County is an agricultural county. Kids need to know about agriculture in order to grow up to be informed consumers, stewards, and citizens. Poultry judging is a great way for kids to get started in agriculture. It teaches them about quality control, communication, and reasoning skills. The skills they learn are very practical and relate to everyday life. 4-H is a true testament to what the programs teach the youth. Once parents see what the kids are learning, they want their kids involved.”
“I tell parents all the time that I would not be the person I am today if I had not joined 4-H. I was a poor farm girl that had never been outside of Jackson County. 4-H helped me learn how to speak in front of others, build confidence, and gave me so many opportunities I would not have had otherwise. This is what is missing in other programs, which tend to just focus on fun activities. In 4-H, activities are fun, but they also help youth develop valuable life skills that will carry them through school and their future career. 4-H focuses on the big picture of positive youth development, and kids are hungry for that kind of learning because they can’t get it anywhere else.”
Brad and Stacey with members of their livestock judging team in 2015.
Brad and Stacey attribute the success of their club not only because of the content they teach, but also to a dedicated group of 4-H parents who are willing to pitch in and help out whenever needed. 4-H parents Stephen and Casey Roach shared, “We are so thankful that we have the opportunity to be a part of a 4-H club where the leaders get more excited about the kids’ accomplishments than the kids do! Brad and Stacey cheer on all the 4-H members and encourage them to do their best. They’ve done such a tremendous job that the kids are placing in competitions, gaining confidence, and learning valuable information about livestock. We couldn’t be happier or more appreciative of all that Brad and Stacey do for the Jackson County 4-H Livestock Club.”
There are no guarantees that you will meet your future spouse in 4-H, but you will reap benefits by sharing your passion and expertise as a 4-H volunteer! 4-H alumni like Brad and Stacey make ideal volunteers. Stacey advises “Jump right in- don’t hesitate! We were not sure about it at first, but with support from our 4-H Agent, other parents and the community, things have fallen into place. It is not nearly as intimidating as we thought it would be.” To find out how you can leverage your skills and experience as a 4-H volunteer, contact your local Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org/volunteers.
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