For 100 years, youths across Canada have put hand to heart and made the 4-H pledge to head, heart, hands and health:
“My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
My health to better living,
For my club, my community and my country.”
Rob Black, president of the Canadian 4-H Council, says the organization has positively impacted generations of families.
“Since 1913, more than two million Canadians have enriched their lives and the lives of others through their 4-H experience,” Black said.
At the 4-H Canada annual general meeting, the 100th anniversary celebrations will run from May 28 to June 1.
More than 500 4-H members will hear alumnus and guest speaker Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space, discuss how the organization influenced her life’s work.
“That will be a big event. The whole week is a chance to celebrate our anniversary. It’s a chance to reconnect,” said Black, who is looking forward to returning to the place where it all began.
The first official 4-H club was formed in Roland, Manitoba in 1913 by Edgar Ward Jones, director of extension at Manitoba Agricultural College, and Dr. William Black (1872-1941), who was born in Dufferin Country and graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College, and went on to become the Manitoba deputy minister of agriculture.
“The program was developed to help improve agriculture, increase and better production, and enrich rural life,” said Black. “From this group of 14 enthusiastic young people in the first club, membership has grown to as high as 70,000 in the 1960s.”
He considers the formative years of the organization to be from 1913 to 1922, as provinces began to organize their own clubs, culminating in a national 4-H movement. The Canadian 4-H Council incorporated in 1931.
In Ontario, 4-H was funded through the Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) until April 2000.
“[The ministry] still plays a big role in our funding,” Black said.
“We have a federated model. Every province is independent. The national organization is the umbrella.”
The Canadian 4-H Council offers a variety of national and international programs and services, including membership and leader conferences, citizenship seminars, international and national youth exchanges, scholarship and grant programs, and mentoring opportunities.
“The 4-H program exists in every province in Canada as a rural, local, community-based youth organization which strives to promote technical, life skills and leadership training to young people between six and 25 years of age,” said Black.
“Skills and training in citizenship, leadership, cooperation, collaboration, responsibility, independence, public speaking, entrepreneurship, life skills, team building and financial management are learned through engagement in skill development projects and clubs and through interaction with community leaders and volunteers.”
Today, 4-H is open to rural and non-rural youths across the country, offering projects ranging from traditional agricultural projects, to newer projects in the fields of nutrition, science and technology, and outdoor living.
In Wellington County, 4-H began in 1917, Black explains, when the first Department of Agriculture office opened in Arthur. It began with clubs such as the home garden contest club, homemaking clubs, the Erin potato club in the 1920s, the Minto/Maryborough livestock club in 1928 and the Rockwood sheep club in 1932.
“The West Luther Club is one of the longest running clubs in Wellington County,” said Black, attributing its success, in large part, to leader Charlie Twiss of Alma.
“Charlie is doing it because he loves working with the kids. He’s bringing in the next crop of 4-H members,” said Black.
Twiss has been a leader for approximately 20 years and has led or supported clubs in dairy, beef, sheep, field crops, veterinary clubs and even finance, (Twiss is a financial advisor and beef cattle farmer). He was a 4-H member in his youth.
“It’s always good to work with youth and hopefully you can give them something to take forward,” Twiss said of his years of service. “I want to stay young and working with them keeps me young.”
June Switzer, a leader out of Hillsburgh, began in 4-H when she was 12 years old. Since that time she has led as many as nine clubs a year, teaching everything from Lego engineering, to quilting, gardening, beef cattle and black-light theatre productions, to name a few.
“I’ve been involved in some capacity, one way or another, for over 50 years,” she said. “I like sharing what I know and what I do, and I like working with the kids. I get as much from it as they do.”
Twiss and Switzer are just two examples of the dedication and mentorship of the more than 8,000 volunteer leaders Black says are indicative of the strength of 4-H.
“Our volunteers are the lifeblood of this program … They give their time, talent, energy, enthusiasm and financial resources and look for nothing in return. They are our unsung 4-H heroes,” he said.
“We couldn’t run this program if it weren’t for our provincial organizations and they couldn’t do it without the community of volunteer leaders.”
He adds, “The time commitment to be a leader is not small; it takes a significant amount of time.”
Black said the organization carefully screens and trains volunteers, with clear guidelines for conducting a club.
“Our volunteers are caring and kind and want only the best for our 4-H kids,” said Black, noting they help create an inclusive environment for everyone. “Every person is an individual in those clubs.”
Switzer agreed, saying, “It’s about as inclusive as you can get.”
One of her favorite aspects of 4-H clubs is that they include children from ages nine to 21 years (4-H Canada is working to expand the membership age from six years through to 25 years of age, to encourage future growth).
“The multi-age range that is there is the very best thing,” Switzer said.
“When you have a 10-year-old working beside a 15-year-old … or a 15-year-old working next to a 21-year-old, the kids see a whole new way of doing things from another perspective.”
“It’s a maturity thing. They learn leadership by doing it.”
Public speaking is an area of development Switzer feels is very important.
“It’s a huge component, but it’s done in a very non-regimented way,” she explains. “They gain confidence by getting them to speak about something they know how to do. That’s how their skills get developed. The more they do it, the easier it gets.”
Switzer said the students learn about democracy and Parliamentary procedure, as everyone has a role to play and a job to do, from club treasurer or secretary to press reporter.
“4-H kids can talk well, they can lead, they can organize,” said Black, who along with Twiss, believes the lessons students learn in 4-H are lifelong skills.
“They develop leadership, it gives them knowledge … and by leadership I don’t mean you’ll be at the front of the class doing a sing-song either,” Twiss said.
“But what about someone who goes and helps people because he learned to do that at 4-H? He led people … For me it’s about the enjoyment of seeing them grow, their knowledge grow and them improve.”
His sentiment echoes that of Switzer, who says it is the change she sees in the children she works with that makes it worthwhile.
“That’s why I’m still doing this. I see it every year, all the time,” Switzer said. “They are confident to try anything.”
Evolving with the times has helped keep 4-H relevant.
Clubs have expanded to reach a broad membership, with theme activities including animal care and husbandry (beef, dairy, horse, poultry, rabbit, sheep, swine, honeybee); personal development (leadership, life skills, performing and visual arts, public speaking); and skills (photography, small engines, veterinary, welding, woodworking, outdoor living, crafts, maple syrup, quilting, square dancing).
“Since the mid-60s, the focus has changed,” Black said. “It’s not project focused. The philosophy and focus has changed to the individual.”
“It’s about personal leadership, skills, self-confidence, public speaking … personal development of the individual.”
He continued, “Today, 4-H faces the challenge of fostering traditional ‘good citizen’ values in an increasingly technologically-based society and in a society which sees the farm-based population dwindling.
“At the same time, those who are in the 4-H program continue to find value in what the organization and program offers.”
Today, more than 26,000 4-H members across Canada take part in more than 40,000 projects, adopting the 4-H motto: “learn to do by doing.”
Maybe that is why new 4-H clubs are popping up all the time, around themes like chocolate club and performing arts.
Switzer encourages students and leaders to think up new ideas for a club. All it takes is six participants, two screened volunteers and 12 hours of guaranteed instruction time over approximately six meetings.
“The program is very open if we decide to do something new,” she said.
“We’re looking for leaders in our area. You don’t have to know a lot about anything, you just have to be willing to share your time and help kids explore the possibilities.”
In honour of the 100th anniversary, Switzer is starting a celebration club.
“We’re going to be learning how to plan and execute a party to celebrate 100 years of 4-H,” she said, which will involve pinata building, making invitations, games and all facets of planning a party.
Black’s term as 4-H president will end in May, just as the celebrations begin, but his efforts to support 4-H will continue.
“I’ve been involved in 4-H in some capacity for more than 38 years,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. 4-H is a passion and I’ll go to the ends of the world to support it.”
