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A Quick Look at 4-H
The BIG picture - Over more than 100 years (4-H celebrated it's centennial in 2002), 4-H has grown from a group of small experimental programs designed primarily to educate farm youth into the largest informal youth educational program in the nation with nearly seven million members.
Young people are engaged in 4-H in a variety of ways including: community and project clubs, school enrichment, long and short-term special interest programs and independent study. 4-H programs are also found on all U.S. Army installations in the U.S. and around the world. Today, there are more 4-H members living in cities and towns than on farms. More than 49,000 young people participate in Maryland 4-H.
4-H is the premier youth development program of Maryland Cooperative Extension (MCE), a unit of the University of Maryland College Park(UMCP) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) and of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).
Extension Educators recruit, train and support 4-H volunteers, coordinate activities and supervise the overall 4-H program. In many cases, a full or part-time Program or Faculty Assistant aids the Educator with one or more Administrative Assistants handling many of the record keeping and clerical duties. Extension Educators are located in the Maryland Cooperative Extension office found in every county and the city of Baltimore.
State 4-H Specialists are located at the Maryland 4-H Center on the University of Maryland College Park Campus and also at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The State 4-H Program Leader is the chief administrative officer of 4-H in Maryland.
The 4-H Pledge does a great job of stating what we hope young people will learn and do in 4-H. I pledge my head to clearer thinking means a 4-Her promises to learn the knowledge and skills to enable them to make wise decisions. When a 4-Her pledges my heart to greater loyalty they are promising to develop caring and citizenship skills. In pledging my hands to larger service a 4-Her promises to learn the skills to do things for themselves and to help others. Finally. a pledge of and my health to better living means the 4-Her promises to avoid unhealthy choices that may lead to sickness and disease. Pledge ends with For my club, my community, my country and my world.
The following Maryland 4-H Mission and Vision statements and Life Skills descriptions provide a more detailed explanation of our goals for young people through 4-H.
The Mission of the Maryland 4-H Youth Development Program is to provide a supportive setting for all youth to reach their fullest potential. Youth learn beneficial cognitive and life skills through community-focused, research-based experiential educational programs. Achievement of this mission will create competent, caring, responsible individuals.
Our Vision is to become a recognized leader for educating and helping youth to become competent, caring, responsible individuals. The program achieves these goals by: addressing present and emerging youth needs; employing a proactive program approach; using a focused, experiential designed, age-appropriate curriculum; working collaboratively with established networks of human and financial resources; having diverse programs, audiences, staff, and delivery techniques.
Life Skills - 4-H provides positive educational experiences for young people, enabling them to acquire life skills including: Decision Making, Acquiring Knowledge, Taking Personal Responsibility, Creative Thinking, Communicating, Understanding Self and Getting Along With Others. Some people mistakenly think the purpose of 4-H is to help young people raise blue ribbon calves or bake prize-winning cookies. In reality, it's the skills the boys and girls learn that are important, not the awards. Public speaking is a good example of a skill that will be valuable for a lifetime.
The Clover - the 4-H emblem is a green four-leaf clover with a white "H" on each
leaf and a stem that curves to the right. The 4-H name and emblem are "owned" by USDA and protected in the same manner as the Seal of the President of the United States. There are requirements for using the 4-H name or emblem that will be covered in a later section of this training. Please call the 4-H Office if you have questions about using the 4-H name or clover, or click 4-H Name and Emblem to learn more.
Learning Check
Young people gain many benefits from their 4-H experience, but the real purpose of 4-H is to help young people learn life skills that will enable them to lead successful lives as caring, competent and contributing citizens. What do you feel is the most important life skill?
When you became a 4-H volunteer, you joined a team of people with a common goal - providing the best possible learning experience for our young people. 4-H Educators are hired to recruit, train and support 4-H Volunteers. Most 4-H units have a 4-H Educator and a full or part-time Program or Faculty Assistant. Each MCE Office has one or more Administrative Assistants who will also be happy to assist you. What do you feel is the most important job of the 4-H Educator?
In a national survey, most people asked recognized the 4-H name and clover emblem. The name and logo may only be used with permission. USDA "owns" the 4-H name and clover and protects them in the same manner as the Great Seal of the President of the United States. Why is it important for the 4-H name and clover emblem to be protected?
Online Learning Community
4-H Volunteers often learn best from each other. To help you "connect" to other volunteers, please respond to one of the questions/comments listed in the Learning Check section by clicking on the Online Learning Community discussion board and posting a message. You must post a message to complete this lesson. Password: 4-H Vol
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For more information, contact Lisa Dennis
Last updated: 06/14/2009