This is something I wrote on aging out of 4-H for the Maryland 4-H in Action supplement in the Delmarva Farmer this October. Hope you like it! 🙂
Nineteen: when you’re approaching twenty, but aren’t an awkward teenager anymore. You’re youthful, but more mature than you’ve ever been. I would say nineteen is pretty peachy – except for one problem, it’s when 4-Hers who are fortunate enough to have an early birthday must bid adieu to their standing as a 4-H member. I’m one of those nineteen year-olds, and this year, I will be wrapping up my 4-H career of almost 14 years.
When I think about finishing my 4-H career, I get incredibly sad. 4-H has become a part of everything I do since I started showing market hogs when I was about 6 years old. I also get nostalgic and think about the incredible experiences I’ve been blessed to have had through 4-H, including attending the National 4-H Congress and the West Virginia Older Members Conference (OMC), being a camper, counselor, and director at the Harford County 4-H Camp, showing at the Harford County Farm Fair and Maryland State Fair, working in committees, boards, and clubs, holding many officer positions, and traveling to Tanzania with Maryland 4-H this summer. It’s incredibly valid for me to say 4-H is my life, especially so since I’d like to work in the program as a career. It’s such a large part of my life that saying goodbye is going to be incredibly hard come December 31st, 2014.
Aging out means a multitude of things to me, but primarily it makes me proud of the program I’ve poured my heart and soul into for most of my life. I’m proud of how much I’ve grown, the people I’ve gotten to see work hard and reach their goals, the opportunities I’ve had, and realizing that youth empowerment is so vital to the world. And when I feel this pride, I think about what I’ve learned in my time as a 4-H member. Aging out makes me appreciative of everything I’ve done, everyone I’ve met, and everything I’ve learned.
I’ve acquired skills in record keeping from doing my record book (which really helps you with résumés down the road, I promise you, younger 4-Hers), in time management and goal setting from my projects, and teamwork from my experiences at camp and in clubs. I’ve learned about responsibility for myself, others, and for my animals, too. I know at least 45 camp songs that I’d be glad to shout at any time or place, I can recite the four H’s and the 4-H Pledge, and I know the address to my county Extension office pretty well.
I’ve gotten so much more out of it aside from skills most 4-Hers acquire in the largest youth organization in the United States. I’ve learned that being part of a team leads to much greater results than working individually, trying new things and meeting new people is what life is all about, and accepting people from all walks of life is of the utmost importance. The world takes all kinds of kinds, and so does 4-H.
My experience at West Virginia’s OMC proved to me that 4-H is the best thing I’ve ever been a part of. The 4-Hers there showed me what it means to be incredibly passionate about something and to give it your all. They love Jackson’s Mill- their state camp, and the 4-Hers who fill it every year. My week there impacted me forever and encouraged me to pursue 4-H work with older youth. It showed me that dedicating my life to this program and helping other people was the best decision I’ve ever made.
Showing at my county fair and at State Fair has given me true friends and shown me what real life is like. What I mean by that is that at fairs, not everything revolves around the newest fashions, the latest technology, or what celebrities are doing, nor does it really matter in life either. I made some of my best friends and memories by simply sitting at a show box and playing cards for hours on end. No pictures taken to document the moment, no tweets sent, and no Facebook statuses posted – just plain old cards with friends.
There’s a reason we are all different, and it’s important that we learn and grow from each other. I learned on my trip to Tanzania with Maryland 4-H that there’s never one correct answer or “right” way to do things or to be. This world is full of people with whom we can make real change, and because we’re all different, that’s possible. And on top of that, life isn’t what you have, it’s what you make of it. It doesn’t matter what possessions are in your name if you don’t know and appreciate what you have, and the Tanzanian 4-Hers taught me that this summer.
One of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in 4-H was attending my county’s 4-H camp. I was terrified to go for the first time, and that was the first real risk I took in my life. I ended up falling in love with the camp, the people, and the 4-H spirit, which shows that 4-H has taught me to step out of my comfort zone. And as a counselor I learned that you get out of things what you put into them – you show your campers love, and they’ll love you even more back. Camp will always hold a special place in my heart for the lessons I’ve learned and the memories and friends I’ve made there.
Aside from all of the trips, events, and other cool experiences, 4-H has taught me about life and about myself as an individual with my clubs in our regular ole business meetings. Our service projects have taught me that except for knowledge, a helping hand is the absolute best gift you can give someone. And doing demonstrations year after year, as well as holding multiple officer positions, I learned that people can change if they want to, people can grow if they want to, and practice is essential in improvement. I used to be a shy little girl who didn’t want to leave her mother’s side. I wanted help from everyone for anything. But now, I’m one of the most individual people you’ll ever meet who can speak in front of a crowd of hundreds of people and be more excited about that than anything else in the world. The encouragement from my leaders, fellow club members, family, and the rest of the 4-H community made me become the person I am today. I’m very proud of how far I’ve come and am blessed to have been shaped into a strong, passionate young woman by 4-H.
But now, as I wave goodbye to the last fourteen or so years of my life, I wave hello to the future – a future of giving back to the program that has given me so much. Just because I stop saying the 4-H Pledge as a member doesn’t mean I’ll stop saying it nor stop embracing what each of the four H’s means. I’m going to take everything I’ve learned and have become and take it into the real world with me, while still learning by doing and becoming the best I can be. And although 4-H is the best, because we believe in “making the best better,” I’ll make sure my future is full of improving the program so that every 4-Her can live a life full of promise, leadership, positivity, responsibility, and opportunity.
Because, after all, what’s better than combining the wisdom from your head, passion from your heart, liveliness from your health with the power of your hands? Absolutely nothing.
Thank you, Maryland 4-H, for a phenomenal ride.
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