Morgan E. Schutz Argument Essay

ENG 251: The Personal Essay Draft #1

Professor Nicholas

3 April 2008

“To Make the Best Better” a Better Way of Life

Parents have a responsibility to make effective life decisions for their young children; decisions that will steer them towards success and happiness, as corny as it might sound. As a parent, you have the opportunity to enroll your child into a variety of programs or organizations that are meant to broaden their horizons and foster friendships and personal growth. Getting your child involved in community programs can be equated to insuring their future is full of taken opportunities and inimitable life experiences. Many times the first place parents gravitate towards is the Girl Scouts/ Boy Scouts of America, overlooking other organizations, such as 4-H, that may just be the superior option. While each organization has its own strengths and weaknesses that should be considered when determining which program would best serve your child and family, I am a firm believer that 4-H has the most to offer its participants.

This may seem like a very biased opinion for someone to take—and I will admit that I do believe that there are certainly benefits to any organization a child belongs to—half the battle is getting involved in something, anything! However, based on my 13 years of personal experience and my knowledge of various organizations, 4-H has a variety of traits that can not even begin to be surpassed by other groups.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America are both huge voluntary youth movements, boy scouts being the largest in the world with a membership in the United States nearing 1 million boys ages 11-17 and an estimated 25 million members and volunteers worldwide. (http://www.scouting.org/Media/FactSheets/02-503.aspx) Girl scouts has more members in the United States than their male counterpart program, 3.7 million, but only 10 million worldwide. (http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/ ) These two organizations are widely publicized and recognizable because of the media endorsement of these groups and the money they have spent on advertisement and promotion. Additionally, most adults who are now becoming parents are familiar with these two organizations and the allure of the infamous Eagle Scout or The Gold Award. When asking parents’ of children who are enrolled in these two organizations, many will note that they have pushed and prodded their sons or daughters to continue scouting until they achieve these high ranks because of how it looks on resumes and applications. In my opinion, this attitude does not spell out success or a meaningful involvement for one’s child.

4-H is an organization that offers both boys and girls, ages 8-19 the opportunity to explore a variety of subject areas and activities through hands on experiences, world class education and unique learning experiences that connect the youth to their community on a more personal level. Many people assume that 4-H is only for the “country-bumpkins” and “farm-kids” but that is not true by any means. While 4-H was originally started in hopes of integrating public school education and the country lifestyle, today the majority of 4-H enrollment is in small non-farming rural towns (33.8% of enrollment) and in central cities with populations of over 50,000 (25.6% of all enrollment). In fact, farming communities make up only 10.9% of all 4-H enrollments. There are currently an estimated 6.5 million children enrolled in 4-H programs throughout the United States making it the largest voluntary youth program in the country. (http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/library/2005_ES-237_stats_6-06.pdf ) The shift from a rural oriented program to a more broad country-wide organization comes from the organizations desire to uphold their mission to empower youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults on a more global level.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts main focus is on earning merit badges around a variety of skills and subject areas including camping, fishing, boating, survival skills, wilderness cooking, small boating, and other such activities. In order for a scout to advance in the program they are required to complete a variety of merit badges, even if the subject of the badge is of no interest to them. Additionally, these skills learned and emphasized in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts are not always the most practical for today’s advancing technological superior society; a society of children who are not necessarily ever going to need to know how to build a campfire without matches on a planned camping trip, or how to cook food over a fire pit rather than in a grill—even the most avid adventure seeker will often carry a portable grill with them on camping expeditions these days. My brother, who recently became an Eagle Scout, has always contended that the activities that he has done and things he has learned as a boy scout are very impractical to what skills he will actually need and use in his daily life.

As a 4Her, children get to choose from a wide variety of subject areas and are not required to complete projects in any of the areas if they are not interested. There are no specific requirements for what a member decides to do in each area in which they decide to participate in order to receive awards of recognition or honor. 4H is a unique program in that similar to scouting, the national program and even state-wide program is divided into small groups or clubs. However, while in scouting these smaller troops are all fairly similar—advancing towards the same goals and working on the same types of merit badges, 4H clubs are very diverse. Some clubs are specific subject area clubs, such as The Orange County Hare Raisers—a 4-H club in Orange County, New York that’s main focus is on education and projects related to raising and showing rabbits. However, the majority of the clubs are general interest clubs that dabble in a wide variety of subject areas throughout the year. This allows the youth to choose subject areas that interest them and can choose to expand further into a few specific areas and become experts on the topic or they can continue to explore the many offered areas and learn a wide-range of skills. Additionally, kids can choose to be a member of more than one club if they have the time, commitment and desire. As a 4-Her, I was a member of The Orange County Hare Raisers, Kaptivating Kids, and the BAG (Borrow-A-Goat) Program all at the same time, during most of my 4-H career; it is simply a matter of personal interest and the ability to be an active participant in each club, but if there is a desire to learn and experience new things, then there is always the opportunity to be involved.

The 4-H program is very flexible and each member is able to create their own unique program that meets their desires and interests. 4-H subject areas include but are never limited to: electricity, textiles, cooking, woodworking, natural resources, photography, record keeping, heritage, arts and crafts, community service, leadership, citizenship, animal science (rabbits, guinea pigs, dairy/cows, goats, swine, dog, and chicken/poultry), recycled projects and restoration, horticulture, entomology, and child development. My brother is also a member of 4-H and has adamantly stated his preference for this program because of its flexibility and the fact that it has allowed him to explore areas that interest him and will be valuable experiences to have had as he moves on to college. Though my brother did in fact experiment in all the subject areas of 4-H (yes, he even sewed his tuxedo for his junior prom), the organization allowed him to focus on the specific areas of his greatest interest: woodworking and electricity, without worry of not meeting the necessary requirements to be promoted to the next year.

If there is an area that interests a child that is not clearly defined by 4-H they are more than welcome to develop their own projects and curriculum, in fact there are 4-H clubs that are tailor-made for boys and girls who love skateboarding and want to learn how to create their own boards, ramps, and skate parks. There is something for everyone in 4-H.

Typically, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops are made up of a group of children from one town or community. Scouts rarely collaborate with other troops outside of scout camp, which occurs once a year over the summer. Therefore the opportunity to meet other kids with similar interests from outside their immediate community is not as readily available as it is with other organizations.

4-H clubs can be localized like troops, but there are also many clubs that are county-wide programs that bring together kids from numerous schools and towns that have similar interests. Additionally, the 4-H program year culminates each year with the County Fair, where all the clubs from the county come together to showcase the projects they’ve completed over the year, show their animals and raise funds and awareness of the 4-H program. Many states also have a variety of state-wide programs that allow 4-Hers to interact with other members from around the state including the State Fair (another fair where members showcase projects that were deemed outstanding at the county level and show their animals and skills at the state-level), Career Exploration Weekend, and 4-H camps to name a few. I was a member of both county-wide clubs as well as community-based clubs and in my personal experience I loved having the opportunity to meet kids from throughout the county who shared the interest in raising and showing rabbits. I met my best friend in my countywide 4-H club and we are still friends to this day. Even though we’ve both moved away to separate colleges, we became friends because of our shared interests and the experiences and that’s proven to be a lasting formula.

One of the best aspects of getting one’s children involved in a youth group is that these groups all strive to expose children starting at a very young age to community service projects. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts both focus on service projects—generally focusing on their immediate community with projects such as Scouting for Food. This service entails the children going around to neighborhood homes and leaving a shopping bag on the house doors with a note attached explaining the project. A week later the scouts return to the houses in hopes of finding that the inhabitants have left bags filled with food items which they then take to local food pantries. The problem with this type of community service project is that the kids never actually get to see and experience the actual interaction with those in need. While the project is an invaluable one that does a great benefit for the community, part of process is being able to see the gratitude of those you’re helping, it makes the reality real for the children. This is one of the most commonly seen community service projects conducted by scouts but is not the only one; troops can choose to participate in troop specific projects as well they devise and implement.

4-H is founded on the principles of several essential elements. One such element is that of generosity:

4-H offers opportunities to experience Generosity – young people become active and engaged citizens. Young people need to feel their lives have meaning and purpose. They need opportunities to connect to their communities and learn how to give back to others. As part of this process, youth gain an understanding of others’ needs and learn how to respond to these needs. Generosity may also include the development of values such as compassion and tolerance for diversity and the ability to take the perspective of others, and to approach problems as “a member of a global society,” through participation in local, and national politics. (http://www.national4-hheadquarters.gov/about/4h_elements.htm)

4-H clubs are responsible for creating their own opportunities for community service related projects and therefore the projects are very customized to be meaningful to the kids performing the service as well as an opportunity to give back to their community. For example, The Orange County Hare Raisers often organize events that educate the public about the proper care of small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs. These projects are meaningful for the kids because they are able to display the skills that they have learned and the interest they have in the subject area as well as serve their community. As a 4-Her, community service became a very integral part of my life, by the time I entered high school I was doing 200+ hours of community service each year and I never even realized it until I would review my service hour logs at the end of the year. 4-H had really taught me to value the community that was raising me and being involved in my town and county became second nature—I love seeing the difference I am making reflected in the faces of those I am helping, it is the most inspirational and rewarding aspect for me of being a 4-Her.

The 4-H motto, “To Make the Best Better,” truly encompasses the spirit of the 4-H program. 4-Hers are expected to better themselves and their communities and much of a 4-Hers work is in community service oriented projects. The 4-H pledge sums up what the program really tries to embody in its entirety:

“I Pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service, and my Health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.”

The skills learned, opportunities given and friendships formed as a child are the stepping stones from which all great successes stem. Being able to provide your child with an abundant supply of stones to guide them on their way begins with steering them towards a youth program that will allow them to grow, flourish and value a sense of community and themselves. By getting your child involved in the 4-H programs you are ensuring them a world of new opportunities unlike those of any other program available.

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