- Author: Natalie Cunha
It's that time of year again! You may have started your Record books and while it can seem tedious you may find use of it in the future, either during an interview, or just looking back on the past. My grandmother's record book is a bit of a historic document. She began 4-H in 1955, in one of the then numerous 4-H groups in Iowa and things sure were different! She was required to write down all of her purchases from ice cream to the movies in her record book. In an effort to teach kids to be leaders, each child got to take a turn in all the officer positions and the only role of adults was to teach the kids how to lead. Her club had about 12 girls in it. Yes, you read that correct! The girls were traditionally to join only the feminine projects, decorating, sewing, and cooking in 4-H. My grandmother, Gwen grew up on a large corn and cattle ranch. Since she was a girl, she was restricted to helping her mother in the house rather than raising animals for the fair or wrangling cattle on horseback like her big brother. Back then they plowed by walking behind the horses that were attached to the plow! By the time she had joined 4-h her father had bought their first tractor.
I'm not sure what you imagine when you think of a cooking project but back then it was quite an ordeal! Ovens were fueled by, you guessed it, wood! In her club they focused on a different project each year such as canning or pie baking. Imagine cooking before timers, that was a reality when she was in 4-H, one of her chores was to sit in front of the oven watching for when the food was done! The sewing project was also different. By the time she was five she was already sewing doll clothes and learning embroidery. When she joined 4-h in fourth grade, her mother had taught her to use the sewing machine. I'm not sure what you picture as a sewing machine but back then you powered it with your feet, and it was a menace, one fowl move and you lose your finger. Even so, Gwen was sewing all her clothes through 4-H by the time she entered high school. At the fair she would often put sewing projects on hangers to display them as well as different projects that she baked, much like the Placer County Fair. It's crazy how much you can learn about the past just by talking to your grandparents! Who knew that just two generations ago people used horse drawn carriages to get to church? So next time you hear the words, “Back in my day...” listen, you never know what you'll learn along the way!
When I first started 4-H, I wanted to dive into every aspect of it that I could. I joined nearly all of the projects and was very excited about swine. I loved learning about them and how to raise them, but soon realized that I would never be able to house a pig because I lived in a suburbia. So, I pushed my attention towards sewing and baking, finding love for the creative side of 4-H. I sewed a dress and entered the Fashion Revue. I entered my baked goods into the fair, despite my creations not being very good. I pushed forward to strengthen my skills, but my attention started to move onto leadership. Our community club president at the time inspired me to take a leadership role at the club level. At the end of the year, I nominated myself to the Secretary role, and was elected. I enjoyed being the club's Secretary and reading the minutes at every meeting, as well as having a part in planning every meeting and event we held. I soon wanted a larger role, and the following year I nominated myself for Vice President. I was overjoyed at the opportunity in front of me, I was surprised when I was formally elected. I gained tremendous experiences as one of the main leaders of the club, which consisted of greater roles in preparing events within our small community. The next year I became a Jr. All Star, which is now known as the Ambassador program, and enjoyed planning events for the entire county. I decorated the halls for every event we held and loved being in such a large leadership position. I later left almost every project I was a part of and focused solely on leadership. I am now in my second year of the new Ambassador program and I am loving every second of it.
While 4-H has so many opportunities, I fell in love with leadership roles and having a part in planning events for the county. I felt as if I did not fit into 4-H because I was unable to show animals, as I did not have the space to house one. However, over the years I have learned that there is more to 4-H than just fair. While this is a large, and amazing, feature of the program, there are so many other aspects. You can do almost anything in 4-H, and if there is not a project that you enjoy, you can create one! There are so many amazing opportunities given to 4-H members, and I want every single member to know that they can do anything that they put their mind to. 4-H will take you to do amazing things; you can travel to different parts of the country, go to various shows and competitions for many different things, go to an amazing summer camp and meet so many new people, and become acquainted with people from across the state and country. These are a few of the many opportunities that 4-h can provide you with, and the road you take is limitless.
- Author: Jill Simmons
Nathan is a 10-year 4-H member who has been involved in many projects including poultry, forestry, dogs, SLO scientists, and engineering. He is a member of the Ophir 4-H Club. Nathan's interest and leadership in 4-H Computer Science has grown through opportunities to serve as a teen leader in a Minecraft map making project, a Unity game development project, and as the teen leader in a Virtual Reality (VR) Game Development Project. In the VR Game Development Project, he taught 4-H members how to design game levels, how to program using the C# programming language, and VR-specific concepts. Nathan is inspired by the opportunity to encourage affinity for the sciences in others.
“4-H has provided the opportunity to enrich my teaching skills, practice interacting with students, and work as a team,” said Nathan. The challenges encountered were securing funding to rent spaces to hold meetings and for purchasing computers. Low project enrollment was also an obstacle. Nathan said, “In order to address enrollment, we posted our flier on various social media outlets, including Facebook and community pages, as well as handing out fliers in person. We opted to reserve meeting space months in advance at a centrally located, convenient public library.”
In 4-H, Nathan has enjoyed teaching computer science competency by fostering conceptual understanding, and by “helping others in providing an affordable opportunity to learn computer science.” Nathan said, “Members of the projects were grateful to learn new skills. Parents have expressed gratitude for their positive experience, as they were able to attend and work along with their children.” He has also found that his 4-H leadership experiences have enhanced his college and career-building opportunities. He plans to establish a VR software studio and pursue a degree in computer science.
