4-H is a multi-generational family affair
By Joan Janzen
Young people across the prairies have been joining agricultural clubs since the early 1900s, and those clubs eventually formed 4-H in 1952. The 4-H name was derived from the pledge’s four H’s: head, heart, hands and health.
Pressed shirts and proud grins. Members of the Bea-Bank 4-H Beef Club line up under the club banner at their Achievement Day. For almost 75 years, 4-H clubs have been promoting the rural lifestyle and building the next generation of leaders across the prairies. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Stacey Hawkins is general leader of the Bea-Bank 4-H Club. “Our club is an old club. It was originally a beef club out of Kindersley,” she explained. During those years the club did a lot of fundraising, such as recycling car batteries and serving lunches at farm sales. Now those funds are being used to supply scholarships.
“Our kids all get scholarships, no matter what they’re going into,” Stacey said. Grade 12 students who are members of the club can receive $100 per year until they reach the age of 21, as they pursue their chosen careers. Some of those students have belonged to 4-H since they were six years old.
This year’s first reorganizational meeting will be held at the Hoosier Hall, where families from Hoosier, Luseland, Kindersley, Marengo, Eatonia and Tramping Lake get together. At 4-H, families register, not just the children.
“We try to make it a family affair,” she said. “I like to focus on getting the whole family involved.”
Unlike most clubs, the kids make up the executive. As a result, they learn parliamentary procedure by being involved in the meetings.
“They decide what they want to do and the parents and leaders are there to help facilitate it. It is a youth-based organization,” Stacey said. The club is for the kids and all about the kids, with the parents stepping in to help.
The leaders also focus on communication, because as Stacey observed, “how to talk to other people is becoming a lost art.” She said they have had kids show up at the first meeting who found it difficult to communicate with others, but by the end of the year they were very sociable. They also do public speaking every year.
The families get together once a month. To help accommodate everyone’s busy schedule, Stacey said they try to combine their special activities with their meetings. Meeting once a month from November to June isn’t a huge time commitment, and registration costs $100 per year with all materials provided.
Membership also provides opportunities for provincial, regional and district events. As 4-H members get older they can also be involved in international events, and have access to both provincial and national scholarships.
Stacey enjoyed being a 4-H member while growing up in Alberta. This will be her 18th year as a leader and her fifth year on the board of directors. Throughout the years the club has always been supported by a dedicated group of leaders.
“I try to have a leader for each project,” she noted. Community members step in to help judge public speaking events, and the club’s alumni judge their shows and year-end Achievement Day.
Bea-Bank used to be solely a beef club. Now they focus on any type of livestock and small animals. The members can do a project on whatever animal they have, whether it’s livestock, poultry, a dog, bird or gerbil.
“It’s changed a lot during the many years. Now just about anything you can think of can do as a project,” she said.
4-H also offers plenty of opportunities for its members to get involved in community events. For the past few years the Bea-Bank club has done cleanup for the Kindersley Indoor Rodeo. Throughout the year, communities in the area approach them about doing different things.
“I have a few families come and go, but mostly families are here to stay. Normally, our families are lifers,” Stacey observed. Some of those family names are Warrington, Cairns, Dearborn, Hawkins and Mardian-Wake. “Our kids stay with us until they graduate. It’s becoming a multi-generational club.”
Stacey said everybody loves to see 4-H on a resume because of all the leadership qualities its members gain. 4-H is not just about livestock. It provides communication and leadership skills that last a lifetime.