1. Oklahoma 4-H Making a Difference
It’s been almost 100 years since the first corn club met in Johnston County. Although 4-H clubs may look different today, 4-H and it’s activities still make a difference in the lives of members and their families
Oklahoma 4-H
Making a Difference

2. What is 4-H?
4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills
A 4-H member can participate in at least 50 projects and countless activities, but the foundation of the 4-H experience, regardless of the project, is the development of leadership, citizenship and life skills.

3. 4-H is…
Youth Development component of the Cooperative Extension Service
The largest youth serving organization in the world
Dedicated to education, youth development and service
Not long after the cooperative extension service was organized, educators realized that the way to reach parents with educational materials and resources was through their children and 4-H became the youth development arm of USDA and the land grant university system. The world’s largest youth organization is dedicated to education, service and helping youth develop not only specific project skills, but their leadership and public speaking skills as well.

4. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Based at Oklahoma State University and Langston University
Provide research based information in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Rural Development, Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H/Youth Development
An office in almost every county
The Cooperative Extension service in Oklahoma is based at the two land grant universities:
The 1862 Land Grant University – Oklahoma State
The 1890 Land Grant University – Langston
Campus based specialists, county educators and paraprofessionals provide research based information in all base program areas, with an Extension Office in almost every county.

5. 4-H Focus Areas Leadership Development Health and Wellness
Environmental Stewardship
Science and Technology
4-H Visibility
In 4-H, we focus on 5 major areas, Leadership Development, Health an d Wellness, Environmental Stewardship, Science and Technology and 4-H Visibility

6. Why 4-H Projects “work” Youth have the opportunity to: Set goals
Gain knowledge
Develop skills
Learn by doing
Accept responsibility
Be recognized for their achievements, lead and serve others
Within each Focus Area are many individual projects that 4-H members work on.
Project work gives 4-H members a chance to:
Set short and long term goals for project work and achievement
Learn more about a specific project or subject
Develop project related skills, along with leadership skills
Learn through experience – what works and what doesn’t
Become responsible for care of an animal, a garden, crops, or for completion of an activity or event
Through the opportunity to lead and serve others, 4-H members achieve their goals

7. Project Work = Life Skills
Decision-making
Goal setting
Planning, doing, evaluating
Teamwork/Cooperation
Communication
Responsibility
Recordkeeping
Through project work, 4-H members develop a variety of life skills
The make decisions every time they choose between their project work and some other activity
At the beginning of each program year, they set goals for their project work, along with the 4-H year
Many of the projects require planning an activity, actually conducting the activity and then evaluating it to make it better the next time
Member cooperate with other members, volunteers and educators as they work toward individual and team goals
They learn to communicate with others in small groups as they share project ideas and through public speaking opportunities
Members learn that while there are caring adults to help along the way, they are ultimately responsible for the successful completion of their project work
While keeping records is no 4-H member’s favorite activity, accurate records are important if members want to compete for awards and all adults know that learning to keep good records is a skills that is best learned sooner rather than later

8. 4-H Projects Consumer, Family & Health Related Projects Animal Science
Personal Development, Citizenship & Leadership
Science & Technology
Communications and Visual Arts
Environmental Education
As you can see, 4-H members enroll in a variety of projects related to the 4-H Focus areas.
As a part of their 4-H work, they often serve as partners with educators and volunteers to deliver programs in these areas.

9. County 4-H Statistics
Summarize county 4-H facts & figures on this slide

10. 4-H members gain decision-making skills
4-H members have many opportunities to evaluate animals, meat, crops and plants, consumer items and others. Regardless of what is being judged, members learn to compare an item, a cut of meat or an animal to a standard, then make decisions when placing the class.
Through judging activities

11. Share knowledge and skills with others
Through project work, 4-H members have a unique opportunity – to teach others. No other youth organization gives youth as many opportunities to teach as the 4-H program does.
In formal and informal settings, through workshops like this one

12. Serve Their Communities
Service to the community is stressed at all levels – whether it’s working at the Regional Food Bank in Oklahoma City, as the youth in the picture are, or cleaning up a local park, 4-H youth give back to their communities.
Members packaging corn at the Regional Food Bank

13. Tell the 4-H Story 4-H Day at the Capitol
4-H members have a variety of opportunities to tell the 4-H story at all levels
4-H Day at the Capitol

14. Sharing project work and running for office
Lead by Example
Whether sharing project work with young children, speaking in front of a group or running for office, 4-H members provide positive role models through the examples they set and the leadership they exhibit.
Sharing project work and running for office

15. 4-H in your County
Add information about 4-H in your county to localize this presentation

16. County Project
Insert a photo of an outstanding county project to the left and describe it here

17. 4-H members make a difference
A sample* group of H teens:
Reached 25.7 million people through 4-H project work
Organized 57,108 activities, workshops and presentations
Spent nearly 380,000 hours planning, conducting and evaluating 4-H activities
*4-H members who submitted 4-H record books and award applications in 2012
In 2005, Oklahoma 4-H members presented almost 20,000 talks, demonstrations and illustrated presentations, organized or taught 22,000 workshops, conducted 23,000 community service activities, spent more than 330,000 serving their communities and reached almost 9 million youth and adults with educational information.

18. 4-H Alumni Are engaged in their communities
A study1 published in the Journal of Extension found that youth involved in 4-H are:
More likely to have higher grades than non-4-H members
Less likely to participate in risky behaviors
More likely to discuss important issues with their parents
More likely to hold leadership positions and participate in community service activities
1Seevers, B. S., Hodnett, F., and Van Leeuwen, D. (2011). Findings of 4-H Impact Studies in Six Western States. Journal of Extension, 49(4). Retrieved from
As a recent study at OSU shows, 4-H Alumni use the life skills they developed as 4-H members to become involved in their communities

19. The Lasting Effect of 4-H on Volunteerism & Leadership
4-H Alumni
95% volunteer monthly in their communities
80% belong to one or more community groups
86% have held leadership positions in a community organization in the last 3 years
Non-4-H Oklahomans
77% volunteer monthly in their communities
70% belong to one or more community groups
62% have held leadership positions in a community organization in the last 3 years
In comparing the 2 sample groups, 95% of 4-H alumni volunteer each month in their communities compared to 77% of adults who were not 4-H members
80% of 4-H alumni belong to one or more community groups compared with 70% in the control group
Former 4-H members were 24% more likely to take on a leadership role in a community organization than adults who had not been 4-H members

20. The Lasting Effect of 4-H on Education and Voting
4-H Alumni
66% hold a 4 year college degree
30% hold advanced degrees
96% have voted in the past 3 years
Non-4-H Oklahomans
20% hold a 4-year college degree
10% hold advanced degrees
89% have voted in the past 3 years
2/3 of 4-H alumni surveyed hold a 4 year college degree compares with 20% of the sample without a 4-H background
Almost 1/3 of former 4H members hold a Masters or higher degree while 1/10 of the comparison group hold advanced degrees
Finally, Former 4-H members are slightly more likely to vote in local, state and national elections