WHAT IS 4H?

Many people associate 4-H with livestock projects or entering things in the county fair. However, 4-H is so much more than that. So, "what is 4-H?", one might ask. 4-H is one of the educational programs of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. It involves youth and adults. 4-H is a family-community effort supplementing and complementing the mission of the home, church, and school for the development of youth. Currently there are 272 4-H members in White County.

The goal of 4-H is to meet the basic needs of youth and help them acquire essential life skills through planned "learn by doing" experiences. The 4-H youth development program provides opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, develop skills, form attitudes, and practice behavior that will enable them to become self-directing productive, and contributing members of society. Leadership and community service is also a major part of 4-H.

4-H clubs have been around since the early 1900's. The first 4-H club in Arkansas was started in White County in 1908. Under the leadership of R.C. Davidson , a farm demonstration agent, and Miss Lucy Critz, a teacher in the Searcy High School, a boy's corn club was organized with 40 members.

Today in White County, there are 14 community clubs and 2 county-wide clubs. The two county clubs include the Teen Leader Club and the Shooting Sports Club. Members can belong to a community club and be involved in the county- wide clubs, as well. For competitions, 4-H'ers are divided into three different age categories. Children ages 5-8 are considered Cloverbuds, ages 9-13 are Juniors, and ages 14-19 are Seniors. There is no fee to join 4-H. The 4-H program is funded by the United Way of White County.

The White County 4-H program is under the leadership of Amy Heck, County Extension Agent for 4-H. Jamie Martin is the 4-H Program Assistant. Brian Haller, County Extension Agent- Staff Chair, and the other County Extension Agents in the office, assist with the 4-H program. The White County 4-H Foundation is made up of various individuals from across the county who have a genuine interest in the betterment of the 4-H program. in White County. Anyone can be a member of the foundation. The primary purpose of the foundation is to act in an advisory capacity by encouraging and assisting with the promotion of the 4-H program.

4-H teaches life skills by using the "learn by doing" method. 4-H'ers can select different project areas to assist them in the learning process. A project can be just about anything of interest to them. They can select as many projects as they wish. However, most 4-H'ers have between two and five projects. Some examples of different projects include animals, cooking, bicycle, technology, shooting sports, wildlife education, landscaping, child development, foods and nutrition, citizenship, forestry, and consumer education. Project books are available to assist 4-H'ers in how to do a project. 4-H'ers are encouraged to keep a journal of everything they do with their project. It is similar to a continuous diary, adding new information each year. The journals often lead to scholarships when 4-H members become seniors.

There are eight different 4-H county competitions each year. These competitions include the Bake-Off, Dairy Recipe contest, Talent and Fashion, Broiler Bar-B-Q, Talks and Demonstrations, Agri-Day, and Ross Photography. 4-H'ers can go on to compete in district, state, regional, and national competitions as well. There are many other activities and events that 4-H'ers can get involved in. There are several camps held at the C. A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center at Ferndale, each summer. There are also opportunities for senior 4-H'ers to attend Citizenship Washington Focus in Washington D.C., and the Kansas City Global conference. All the trips and camps offer fun as well as educational experiences.

Arkansas 4-H is open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 19 without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, disability, or any other legally protected status. Anyone of eligible ages can be a member of a community 4-H club and/or a county-wide 4-H club.

For more information on 4-H in White County, contact Amy Heck at the White County office of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, 411 N Spruce in Searcy, 501-268-5394 or 1-800-467-8166 or email aheck[at]uaex[dot]edu. The Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Be sure and pick up a copy of Searcy Living filled with lots more stories and photos!

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