4-H pays lifetime dividends.

By Kate Rowland

Introduced to Canada in 1913, 4-H is active primarily in rural communities where economies are based on agriculture and natural resources. Community-based local 4-H groups help youngsters develop both agricultural and non-agricultural technical and life skills such as citizenship, leadership, cooperation, responsibility, independence, entrepreneurship and financial management.

In addition to providing a strong agricultural knowledge base, the 4-H program has measurably strengthened rural communities, according to the results of two surveys, Measures of Success Surveys I and II, conducted by the Canadian 4-H Council in 1997, and again by the council in conjunction with Ipsos Reid in 2002.

These studies, which surveyed 4-H alumni and agricultural opinion leaders, resulted in some remarkable statistics:

• In 1996, 43 percent of 4-H alumni had household incomes of $50,000 to $99,000, versus 30 percent of the Canadian population overall. Further, 16 percent of 4-H alumni had household incomes of $100,000 or more, versus nine percent of the 1996 Canadian population.
• About 81 percent of 4-H alumni have post-high school educational experience, compared with about 44 percent Canada-wide, and overall 31 percent of 4-H alumni hold a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with only 16 percent of the 1996 Canadian population.
• Just over 80 percent of 4-H alumni reported living on a farm or in a rural setting. This figure is much higher than the 23.4 percent Canadian average overall.
• Some 83.3 percent of the 4-H alumni surveyed were employed full-time, part-time, or were self-employed, compared with a Canadian employment rate of 64.8 percent.
• Nearly 55 percent of 4-H alumni surveyed were employed in the agricultural sector, compared with a 5.3 percent average Canada-wide.

The studies also found that participation in community affairs in later life is enhanced by 4-H membership: the surveyed alumni reported that, from a list of 14 possible community organizations, 90 percent had membership in one or more, and half were members of four or more. Further, about 70 percent were committee members within these organizations, and 59 percent were officers or executives.

In addition, says Marguerite Stark, head of Alberta's 4-H branch, that sense of community extends beyond the traditional links between neighbours. "I think 4-H really provides a network of friends and acquaintances that are maintained throughout a lifetime," she says, "It also creates a very positive environment and a very positive outlook for our communities. The feeling of community that 4-H develops is very important."

Source for statistics: Derrick Rozdeba, Canadian 4-H Council

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