Suburban 4-H: 'It's not just farming and vegetables'

Andrew McCafferty broke out in a grin when told he was going to win a blue ribbon for his 4-H project at the Kane County Fair.

However, the satin badge would not be pinned to a cow or a hog.

It was for a project explaining simple electrical circuitry. And after that, Andrew met with a judge on another project for sewing.

The 13-year-old from Geneva shows how the nation's 4-H program has changed in its 114 years, belying the stereotype that it is just for farm kids to learn how to grow better crops and livestock.

When

Andrew tells friends he's in a 4-H club, many have never heard of the group. “They're like 'What, what?'” he says.

Yet he's among about 200,000 youths in 4-H in Illinois, 6 million in the nation. And, as of last year, half lived in urban and suburban areas.

There are 4-H clubs in every Illinois county.

While it's true 4-H began as a way to introduce improved farming techniques to youngsters - who were more receptive than their parents - it has always also been about developing children's other skills, including becoming good leaders.

Showing off a handsome steer or a perfect jar of jam at a county fair is only part of it.

“Fairs are one way 4-H members demonstrate mastery of what they've been learning all year long, but they are only a small part of what 4-H participants do,” said Judy Mae Bingman, Illinois 4-H media and communications specialist. “Fairs are an opportunity to celebrate learning and allow the public a small glimpse of a much larger program.”

Ready for life

In</ane County, less than 10 percent of the 4-H kids live on a farm, which is why today's 4-H is about teaching “life skills,” said Doris Braddock, program coordinator for 4-H and youth development in the University of Illinois' DuPage-Kane-Kendall Extension office in St. Charles.

Science- and technology-oriented pursuits are attracting more and more participation, she said. Robotics is big, as are projects on natural science, environmental science, cooking, computers and raising companion animals. At last week's fair, children brought welding projects, photographs, clothing, theater arts, flower arrangements and presentations on foreign countries to be judged, as well as plates of vegetables and gaily decorated cakes. Braddock recalls learning about public speaking when she was in 4-H.

4-H allows kids to explore potential careers and develop leadership skills. Its fastest-growing segment in Illinois is its Teen As Teachers program, in which teens plan programs and instruct younger children. For example, more than 300 taught low-income children how to prepare simple, nutritious meals in the Food Smart Families program last summer.

Cloverbuds is for children ages 5 to 7. They work on projects but do not submit them to contests.

Children age 8 to 18 belong to community clubs, such as the Primrose Clovers in St. Charles. They use a standard curriculum to learn about topics, and prepare projects to be judged at county fairs and at the Illinois State Fair.

There are also 4-H special interest clubs. For example, in Lake County, there is a sailing club. There's also a baton-twirling club in DuPage County, Braddock said.

4-H Metro

“Agriculture is really a tiny part of 4-H,” according to Donna Nuger, Metro youth development educator for the St. Charles office. There are also Metro programs in Cook and Lake counties.

She's proof, having grown up on the edge of Chicago in Elmwood Park but developing an interest in animal science through 4-H.

Nuger oversees 4-H Metro programs in East Aurora District 131, Elgin U-46, Downers Grove Elementary District 58 and Elmhurst Unit District 205. 4-H is trying to increase minority enrollment. Statewide, about 20 percent of participants are black and 10 percent are Hispanic.

Robotics and maker-space programs are proving very popular, she said. Metro had about 400 youths in robotics alone.

At East Aurora High School, 4-H has a Science Ambassadors program, which trains teenagers to teach younger kids about science. Next year, the focus will be on health sciences, as many of the students indicated they are pursuing jobs in health care.

“We want to make sure our kids are well-prepared for the future,” Nuger said.

Just because

Still, 4-H is a safe place to explore

topics just because they interest you.

Brett Rippchen, 11, of St. Charles, is in his second year in 4-H. He was showing off his vegetable plate entry of broccoli, onions and tomatoes at last week's Kane County Fair.

“I really like gardening, and I enjoy eating the produce,” he said.

Last year, he raised chickens and did a project about fishing.

A few steps away, a future mechanical engineer fixed a red-checkered cloth on a tray of vegetables he had grown at his Geneva home.

Johannes Vandermeij, 18, of Geneva, has been in 4-H for two years. His mother was in 4-H as a child growing up in southern Illinois, and a brother also belongs.

“My friends always ask what it (4-H) is, because they do not know what it really is,” he said of 4-H. “It's not just farming and vegetables.”