For 100 years, 4-H has been teaching kids selfreliance and valuable life skills, like cooking, sewing, and how to nurture human and other animals. In recent years its repertoire has expanded to meet the needs of the times: 4-H also teaches such skills as how to develop community partnerships and how to build a web page.

Idaho 4-H members learn through work and play. Hispanics are Idaho’s fastest-growing cultural group.

Idaho 4-H recently kicked-off an ambitious $2 million fundraising campaign aimed at increasing the availability, scope, and inclusiveness of their programs. Programs are supported through a combination of state and county public funds, participant fees, and private donations. 4-H programs currently thrive in all 44 Idaho counties, reaching more than 28,000 kids in 2,650 clubs. Volunteers, a force of 3,900 adults and young adults, donate hours, days, and years to program delivery.

More than 4,000 Hispanic 4-H’ers in 2002

While 4-H membership is gradually rising across cultural lines, the biggest growth recently is among Hispanic participants: 1,737 Hispanic kids were enrolled in programs in 2001. Approximately 4,145 were members in 2002. This trend reflects a more than 60 percent rise in Idaho’s Hispanic population in the past decade. Idaho 4-H has been working to develop culturally appropriate recruitment and program delivery methods to better serve Hispanic youth and their families.

4-H is also seeing a rise in the participation of “episodic volunteers”—people who volunteer for a short time—and is adapting volunteer roles to accommodate busy lifestyles. Overall, participation in Idaho 4-H has grown from 26,167 in 1998 to 28,608 in 2002. State and federal funding, however, has not kept pace with growth.

“The 4-H Fundraising Campaign hopes to provide support for current programs such as Know Your Government and other youth development programs, to develop and deliver innovative new project areas that don’t currently have staffing or funding, and to focus on recruiting and training volunteer leaders, including Spanish- speaking and bilingual leaders,” said 4-H Fundraising Campaign Chair Wayne Thiessen.

New programs require supplies, trained volunteers

New programs require curriculum, supplies, and promotional materials, and startup funds can be difficult to come by, says 4-H Youth Development Specialist Linda Webb. To deliver traditional and new programs, volunteer leaders must also receive training.

“It is imperative that we have an ongoing training system to provide volunteers the skills they need when working with youth,” said Webb. “Many times we have volunteers who can’t attend a state or regional meeting because they lack funds. We are hoping this campaign will provide us with more funds to support and help volunteers participate in various training and development opportunities.”

The success of 4-H hinges on attracting and retaining volunteers. Idaho 4-H already has launched a recruitment campaign that emphasizes the need for volunteers in all areas, and the growing need for Spanishspeaking and bilingual leaders to reach Hispanic youth and families.

The residual benefits of an investment in 4-H programming seem to be long-term. The 4-H mission is to empower youth to reach their full potential . . .in partnership with caring adults. One byproduct of the caring adult/inquisitive child relationship is the building of a better citizen. A recent survey conducted through the Idaho State 4-H Office reveals that 4-H’ers are much more likely than non-4-H’ers to grow up to volunteer for, or be elected to, local government positions and are more likely to become community volunteers themselves as adults.

4-H is the largest youth-serving organization in the world, and is steadily getting larger. “Young people have a lot of choices about how to invest their time,” said Thiessen.

“Some of the choices are better than others. Supporting the good choices requires extra effort and commitment from adults and from the community.”

For more information, or to donate time or money to 4-H, contact Webb at 208364-4004; webb@uidaho.edu