The 4-H movement did not start at any one place or time. 4-H is a combination of the efforts of those concerned about young people; and its characteristics are unique. From its inception it tied both public and private resources together for the purpose of helping young people. Major factors which propelled the 4-H Program were the needs for education in rural communities and advancement in agricultural technology. Through the passage of the Morrel Act of 1862 an initiative was developed to educate youth in agricultural practices. The Morrel Act created land grant Universities, such as Cornell, to research and develop programs that would educate youth and keep them involved in their own communities.

Long before the 4-H term was used, clubs were being organized. In 1902, which was chosen to mark the 4-H Centennial, a school superintendent in Ohio formed clubs of boys with officers, projects, meetings and record requirements. The idea for the four leaf clover came in 1906, from a group of Iowa school children who presented four clovers to their visiting superintendent, O.H. Benson. Benson felt the clovers represented a four square education, that of education, fellowship, physical and moral development. The first emblem, designed by Benson, was a three leaf clover, which used head, heart and hands as the three "H"s. The fourth "H", to signify health, came along later.

By 1910 girls' clubs had formed. There now was an emphasis on home skills such as canning, sewing and baking, with safety in food preservation emphasized. Eventually, all clubs included woodworking and machinery for boys, and full range of home economics for girls. Youth were "learning by doing."

The 4-H Program today includes more than 6.8 million youth between the ages of five and 19 in all subjects and is co-educational with programs in each of the 3,067 counties in the United States. Over 400,000 of these youth participate in New York state. In Monroe County there were over 5,900 youth enrolled in clubs, as individual members and as part of school or group enrollments in 2000-2001.

The importance of the 4-H Program and its emphasis on service to communities, leadership and development of life skills prompted the National Conversation on Youth in 2002. All across the nation, conversations will take place to capture the best ideas and programs. 4-H intends to engage the nation in addressing the changing needs of today's youth. 4-H will strive to "make the best better" through this national conversation and use what it learns to generate civic involvement and create better communities.

All 57 counties in New York are planning their own local conversations. In Monroe County plans are currently underway to participate and include the community's ideas in this National Conversation. The culmination of these efforts will be the presentation to the President, his Cabinet and Congress in a final report.

For more information on the National Conversation on Youth or the 4-H Program in Monroe County contact Marcie McCartney at 461-1000 ext. 232. The 4-H office is located at 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester.