By Sharon Dowdy

University of Georgia

Georgia 4-H’s 172,354 student members will celebrate National 4-H Week October 2-8. During the week, the state’s largest youth development organization wants to raise awareness of the program that started as a club for farm kids and has grown into a place that helps youth become successful and confident adults.

It’s true that 44 percent of Georgia 4-H members live in rural areas and just 3 percent live on a farm. Fifty-three percent say they live in the city, in a small town or in another urban or suburban setting.

Georgia 4-H is available to children in all of Georgia’s 159 counties. Here in Rockdale County, 1,086 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade participate in 4-H. Local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H agent Brittany Teets, Family and Consumer Science agent Marybeth Hornbeck, program assistants Janet Story, Aleshia Lewis and Laurie Thomas, and AmeriCorps Service member Charlene Scott lead the Rockdale County 4-H program.

The four ‘H’s stand for head, heart, hands and health and are represented by the four-leaf clover. Participating youths develop life skills through hands-on projects involving volunteer work, health, science, engineering, technology, leadership, agriculture and communication.

Georgia 4-H, under the umbrella of UGA Extension and 4-H programs, are based on research from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and other UGA colleges. Georgia 4-H agents supplement teachers’ efforts by using after-school lessons and in-school curricula designed to meet Georgia Performance Standards.

Georgia 4-H has always had roots in science. In recent years that emphasis has shifted slightly to include other closely-related disciplines, known as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The more strategic inclusion of engineering and technology programs has been a natural fit as Georgia 4-H’s slogan “Learn by Doing”. STEM subjects are presented to 4-H members through new projects at 4-H Project Achievement, new in-school club meeting curriculum and new activities like Mission Make-It: Georgia 4-H Engineering Challenge and new STEM 4-H Ambassadors.

“The idea of bringing UGA research and resources to Georgia students through the use of county agents throughout the state was a cutting-edge idea in 1904 and remains so even today,” said Arch Smith, state 4-H leader. “The most important work of 4-H is to help young people become better citizens and enable them to grow into responsible, active adults.”

When asked, “attending 4-H camp and making lifelong friends” continues to top of the list of Georgia 4-H members’ favorite things about being in 4-H. High school age Georgia 4-H youths say their 4-H experience provided them with opportunities to travel, learn leadership skills, give back to their communities and overcome their fears of public speaking.

Each year, over 30,000 Georgia 4-H youth perform community service, conduct research, compile portfolios of their accomplishments and learn public speaking skills through oral presentations at 4-H District Project Achievement.

According to Tufts University study, 4-H members are:

• Two times more likely to contribute to their communities than youths not in 4-H
• Three times more physically active than youths not in 4-H
• Five times more likely to graduate from college than youths not in 4-H
• Two times more likely to pursue a career in science than youths not in 4-H

The structured learning, encouragement and adult mentoring that young people receive through 4-H plays a vital role in helping them actively contribute to their communities, according to the study.

To learn more about Georgia 4-H, go to www.georgia4h.org. To find out more about Georgia 4-H in your county, contact your local UGA Extension office at 770-278-7373 or by email at bteets@uga.edu.

(Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)