The History of 4-H

 By Raeann Harger

 EUREKA – For 75 years the University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H program has dedicated its efforts to the services of a most vital resource to Humboldt County : its youth. Humboldt County has the distinction of having the first three 4-H clubs established in California in anticipation of the Smith-Lever act of 1914. The act initiated the nationwide Cooperative Agricultural Extension Service in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture, the State Land-Grant Universities and state countries.

The first 4-H Club was organized in Arcata on Oct. 29 th , 1913 , with Fortuna and Ferndale clubs starting the next day. By 1914, 84 clubs had been formed in California and emphasized activities where youth could teach adults at home the agricultural practices and techniques learned in the club. Many examples of improvements in livestock, crops, and soil protection in agricultural communities can be attributed to the young 4-H clubs.

4-H clubs have grown to meet the demands of ever-changing agricultural needs and technology. From the original one-half dozen projects approved in 1914, eight major categories have evolved in Humboldt County and include 70 projects plus non-traditional projects.

One such project in Humboldt County is a program devised by Julie Hastings, 4-H Vista volunteer. Assessing the needs of the local Hmong population, Hastings has started a program to teach their written language to Hmong children.

“I had been working with the Hmong in different projects,” said Hastings . “We started the children's garden in the Eureka housing project community garden. One man mentioned to me he would like to teach his children reading and writing.”

Hastings got busy investigating and created a 4-H special project. After discussions with teachers at South Bay School and working her way through various leads, Hastings found a teacher for the project, Bila Moua.

The project started May 10 th at the Cooperative Extension office at Spruce Point with children ranging in age from 6 to 14. 4-H membership usually starts with 9 year olds but, because of the nature of the project an exception allowed younger participants. The children are official 4-H members in a non-traditional project.

“I was amazed at how easy it was,” said Hastings . “The parents are really behind it and want the kids to learn the language. The parents are responsible for all the transportation and have been very enthusiastic.”

The project is at typical of 4-H program's philosophy of involvement. Parents are leaders in the project and are actively involved with the children.

“It fits in with the traditional 4-H project,” says Hastings . “That's when 4-H works best.”

How has 4-H changed? The program was established primarily for rural youth, those whose families were in farming or some agriculturally related field. Today, rural land is more difficult to acquire and family farms are less common. The majority of the over one million youth in 4-H today are from suburban and urban areas.

With the change from rural to urban emphasis comes a change in demands for programs, Today's 4-Her has projects not only in the traditional agricultural and home economics fields but also in engineering, resource science, economics, health, and a wide variety of self-determined programs to meet the needs of individuals and their environment.

The 4-H Vista volunteer program focuses on the needs of the ethnic and low-income people and is relatively new in California . This is the first year Humboldt County has had such a volunteer.

“My job is to come up with non-traditional projects and get kids involved where they otherwise wouldn't,” Hastings says. “It's been proven that kids who learn to read and write their own language will learn to read and write English easier.”

Hastings wanted to get the project started at Alice Birney Elementary School but was unable to find another teacher. “I do hope still to get something going there,” she says, “maybe in September.”

Few Hmong posses reading and writing skills of the native Hmong language for such skills have only existed for about 30 years. Some adults are semi-literate; others read and write Laotian they either learned in Laotian schools or in refugee camps in Thailand . Moua would also like to start an adult class.

This particular 4-H project is significant because of its far-reaching goal. Beyond teaching reading and writing, its purpose is to preserve a cultural identity.

The language of the Hmong is one of the few contacts left of their heritage and homeland, It is the one source of preserving the traditions of these people. (Reanne Harger)