4-H gives kids a chance to do hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture, and civic engagement.
By Christina DiCenzo
As a 4-H program coordinator, Christina DiCenzo 鈥�18 sees the organization adapting to meet young people 鈥渨here they鈥檙e at.鈥� DiCenzo has learned a thing or two about adapting, too.
Let鈥檚 play a word association game. I say 鈥�4-H鈥� and you say, 鈥淐ows? Farms?鈥� When the 4-H program began in 1902, much of it did indeed have to do with cows and farms. The 4-H program democratizes academia: liberating knowledge from the ivory tower and delivering it into the hands of the community. The ruralized population of Rhode Island demanded knowledge of agricultural technology and home economics. 4-H-educated young people learned about things like baking, milking, planting, sewing, and other critical skills of the period.
In 2019, I arrived for my 4-H job interview in a black dress and heels only to discover our offices were housed on a working livestock farm. I stuck around because, despite the manure, 4-H is fundamentally about youth development, not agricultural training. Youth development means something different today than in 1902. In 2022, only 18% of Rhode Island鈥檚 population lives in a rural community. Most children in our state are not raised to pursue careers in agriculture, nor do they grow crops or raise livestock.
鈥淢eeting children 鈥榳here they鈥檙e at鈥� means that we must rise to meet new societal needs while still retaining enough of our 4-H essence to remain recognizable.鈥�
鈥擟hristina DiCenzo 鈥�18,
4-H program coordinator
Although 4-H鈥檚 roots are deeply embedded in agriculture, a changing demographic has challenged 4-H to branch into new areas such as STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math), fine art, and communications. In some states, there are staff listings as niche as 鈥�4-H wetlands specialist.鈥� In short, this isn鈥檛 your grandmother鈥檚 4-H program.
Still, agricultural education remains a valuable and pertinent subject for many Rhode Islanders. Generations of families turn to 4-H for our rich animal science programs. We must balance this more traditional need with the needs of urban communities. In any given month, I might plan both a horseback riding clinic and a teen science caf茅.
This struggle to appeal to varied demographics is not unique to 4-H. Boy Scouts of America, with its historic ties to wilderness survival and public service, now offers badges for such activities as 鈥渃omputer programming鈥� to recruit members. Meeting children 鈥渨here they鈥檙e at,鈥� as we often say in 4-H, means that we must
rise to meet new societal needs while still retaining enough of our 4-H essence to remain recognizable.
When it comes to individual 4-H educators, we all have past experiences and expectations that influence our perspectives. But if I refuse to suspend my perspective, how can I possibly meet kids where they鈥檙e at? In this regard, 4-H has taught me reflexivity and humility. We are what the remarkable young people we work with need us to be. Or, if we are not, we learn to be. 鈥�
Christina DiCenzo 鈥�18 is 4-H program coordinator for 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Cooperative Extension Rhode Island 4-H program. She graduated from 溏心vlog免费B站 with a degree in wildlife and conservation biology, completed a 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate certificate in science writing and rhetoric, and is currently enrolled in 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 master鈥檚 in environmental science and management program, with a focus on environmental communication.
Photo: COURTESY NATIONAL 4-H COUNCIL