Ohioans will be seeing green even before St. Patrick’s Day this year as 4-H members, in their official colors of green and white, celebrate 4-H Week March 8–14 throughout the state.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted officially proclaimed the seven days as Ohio 4-H Week, with a state proclamation released last week. A number of special activities will help increase public awareness of the Ohio 4-H program.
As America’s largest youth development organization, 4-H supports about 6 million children nationwide including nearly 172,000 children in Ohio, where 4-H clubs exist in all 88 counties.
Ohio also has the distinction of being the birthplace of 4-H. In 1902, schoolteacher A.B. Graham started a youth program in Clark County, Ohio. Since then, youth in Ohio 4-H clubs have followed the motto “make the best better.”
Gov. DeWine recognized the impact of 4-H in his proclamation, noting that “Ohioans enjoy seeing the many and varied 4-H projects – from livestock to fine arts and from photography to model rockets – each year at their county fairs and the Ohio State Fair.”
Although originally started as an organization for farm children, today Ohio 4-H emphasizes leadership and citizenship skills, and it extends into the suburbs and inner cities.
Ohio youth, ages 5-19, participate in 4-H through community clubs, camps, schools, and short-term experiences. Regardless of the environment, 4-H relies on the experiential learning model, which emphasizes “learning by doing” through hands-on activities.
Much of this learning revolves around projects selected by the 4-H member. Working in partnership with adult leaders and volunteers, youth delve into animals, computers, public speaking, cooking, art, gardening, leadership, and environmental sciences, just to name a few.
According to Kirk Bloir, state 4-H leader and assistant director of Ohio State University Extension, 4-H helps youth develop important life skills. “Youth in 4-H are more likely to be active in their communities, make healthy choices, and look for higher education opportunities,” he said. Additionally, Ohio 4-H alumni are 10% more likely to have a college degree than their counterparts.
Volunteers are a vital part of Ohio 4-H with more than 1,200 sharing their time and expertise to help youth succeed. They assist with programs, camps, fairs, committees, and serve as club advisors. Ohio 4-H volunteers will be recognized on March 14 at the Ohio 4-H Conference in Columbus.
The Ohio 4-H youth development program is part of OSU Extension, the statewide outreach arm of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
