i was in 4h in tennessee for 8 years.
i didn't have an overall pleasant experience.
many times, the children of the agents are in the program, and yes (at least in my club), they do have an unfair advantage in some of the competitions. (like when i was in the clover bowl competition, we were supposed to have the book for 1 week, and then be tested on the material. the daughter of the woman organizing it had the book for 6 weeks.)
and it is very much a popularity contest in the later stages of competition. the only way to win is to be the "well known one." (i mean on the high school level)
you sacrifice your weekends, your summers, and most of your week nights to be in 4h, and for me, it was a thankless effort. i wasn't the well known one, and i worked my butt off to be good at my project (i was in horticulture for six years, and photography for two.)
in elementary school, i think its a great club. you do little meetings every once in awhile and there are 5 projects to do (poster, dairy poster, photograph, demonstration, speech.) but, at the high school level, no. i don't support the club.
also, my two agents, past what i've already described with their cheating, had an entirely unprofessional relationship, and were never reprimanded for it on a professional level. (they were having a sexual relationship in their office during office hours, and on trips to congress and round up and denver.) the club knew, and all they did was not send them on trips together anymore. which wasn't that big of a deal, when they were having sex in their office anyway.
in elementary school, your project isn't too important at first, but its important to get one and stick with it. you will end up having to make a portfolio, in your project. and you build upon it every year. definitely not a good idea to switch between projects.
in high school there are a ton of trips to take, like congress and round up. congress is in the spring (here), and we went to nashville for a long weekend, and learned about the congressional processes. there is a competition for those in the citizenship/leadership project. if you're not normally in those, you can make a second portfolio and compete.
in the summer, there is roundup. round up is usually hosted by a college and is a week long experience, that centers itself around your project competition, which is an interview. the other days there are things like all star luncheon and meetings with your project and a service project.
i reached the second highest recognition avalible in the country, All-Star. its a big deal to get there. i was never Vol-State (which comes after all star in Tennessee, but all states have a different name for it) but vol state is pretty much just a gift to seniors who have been in the whole time, and have become all stars. All star has to be worked for, and you have to meet certain criteria, but volstate is named by the agents. does that make any sense?
obviously, i'm not a big fan of this club because of my personal experience with the people i encountered. i do know that it would have been almost impossible to just jump in at the high school level, and not have stuck through the elementary not only has everyone already formed the clique, but there is just a lot of information and experiences that she's missed out on that would give her a disadvantage at competition.
but, let your kids try it. my experiences could have been isolated to small town tennessee. they may have a wonderful experience. i just wanted to give a forewarning about what MIGHT happen. good luck!
). 4-H is GREAT,but a lot depends on the quality and enthusiasm of the VOLUNTEER leaders. Please, if you or your DH has a skill that can be shared,consider volunteering. Parent involvement and enthusiasm is really important, as well. It has great college scholarship opportunities as well.
