“Learning by doing” is the slogan of the 4-H organization in the United States.
If you’re not familiar with the National 4-H organization, it was formed around 1902 as a non-profit organization with the goal of “engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development.” And, while largely considered an agriculture program, 4-H has expanded to include everything from computer programming to biology, engineering, and nutrition.
The first full week of October is designated as National 4-H Week. In the United States, the program is administered through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with a changing annual theme highlighting a new topic. The 2019 theme – Inspire Kids To Do – plays on the 4-H slogan of learning by doing and encouraging youth to become involved in their communities.
Experiential learning and community volunteerism are hallmarks of the 4-H experience. This experience is often expressed in agriculture-based projects whether raising livestock or planting a garden.
For example, youth who opt to raise livestock through a 4-H project learn life skills that last well beyond the barn: budgeting, personal responsibility, business acumen, creative thinking, public speaking, and community involvement. In addition to raising their livestock to a saleable size, youth are required to track their expenditures via recordkeeping, demonstrate acquired knowledge of their project through public speaking, and volunteer in their communities helping others.
What 4-H teaches participants is often difficult to quantify in tangible terms. How does one measure work ethic, dedication, and self-reliance? However, the intangible benefits of 4-H are skills participants will maintain for the remainder of their lives.
So, with National 4-H Week just concluded, consider inspiring a student to seek out experiential learning opportunities. Whether 4-H is the avenue for every student or not, it is one avenue, and it is the avenue for approximately 6 million current participants.
You can learn more about 4-H here.