A-Z Challenge: H is for...

The youth organization 4-H.  Here is the 4-H pledge that sums up the purpose and values:

I pledge my HEAD to clearer thinking,
My HEART to greater loyalty,
My HANDS to larger service,
and my HEALTH to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

I joined a 4-H club when I was older, about 16, and I regret that I wasn't a part of it sooner.  It's a great club for kids to learn leadership and practical life skills.  The basic idea is that you sign up for projects and you work on the required project components throughout the year and present your efforts at the county fair.  Being the craftaholic that I am I had numerous projects and included crochet, needlework, photography, gardening, art, and I even tried to raise sheep one year.  In addition to projects you can be in a club where you can work on leadership skills and speaking, and I was also active in the County Council too. 

The summer between my junior and senior year I was selected to represent my county on a Citizenship Washington Focus trip.  I got an all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. with about 40 other youth from Colorado to go and learn about our governement and our country.  We went to most of the major memorials and monuments and got to meet with our Senators and Congressmen.  It was a phenomenal trip that I will always remember and cherish.

The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal study conducted by the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, shows youth engaged with 4-H are:

• Nearly two times more likely to get better grades in school;
• Nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college;
• 41 percent less likely to engage in risky behaviors; and
• 25 percent more likely to positively contribute to their families and communities.

To learn more about 4-H go to their website: http://www.4-h.org/