Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
Roseland 4-H Club members and Riverview School students Hailey McKay (right) and Jailynn McDonald, along with their club supporters Velma Scott and Lois Clark (right), presented their school with a donation of fruit for their healthy snack during Friday’s effective behaviour support program. Through their 4-H Club, of which they are treasurer and president, respectively, they fundraised through tea and bake sales and poinsettias sales to purchase 120 pounds of fruit for their school program. (BRUCE BUMSTEAD/BRANDON SUN)
Nearly all Manitobans have heard of the 4-H program. Many know it has ties to agriculture, public speaking and community service.
But where and how did this national program originate in Canada?
You may be surprised to learn that 100 years ago, 4-H began right here in Manitoba. It is recognized that Roland, a village of approximately 300 people 16 kilometres north of Winkler, was the birthplace of 4-H.
In the spring of 1913, the villages of Roland, Neepawa, Manitou, Darlingford, Oak Lake, Starbuck and Warren held the first organizational meetings for Boys and Girls Clubs. The clubs were organized by the Manitoba Agriculture College with the purpose of improving agricultural practices in Manitoba.
Because the program was incorporated into the schools and directed by teachers, growth was phenomenal during the early years and by 1919, there were 30,000 members in Manitoba aged 10 to 18.
Projects during these early years included poultry, potatoes, fodder corn, grains and grasses.
In 1928, Junior Seed Clubs were formed with the goal of improving the quality and quantity of seed used in the province for production and exhibition. In fact, these clubs played an important role in the development and distribution of new varieties in Manitoba, especially during the cereal rust epidemic of the 1930s.
Around this time, other specialty agriculture clubs arose, including dairy, beef, swine and sheep clubs.
The objective of the beef clubs was to improve the Manitoba herd quality. The beef projects have been one of the most popular since the 1950s and in fact had the highest membership enrolment in 2011-12.
In the early years of the Boys and Girls Clubs, very few young women took part in the livestock and crop projects.
However, in 1914, home economics clubs — clothing, cooking and preserves — began. Clothing clubs grew steadily until the 1960s when sewing project membership peaked at 3,859 in 1968. Some of the project work in these clubs included embroidery, knitting and sewing articles.
Enlistment and labour shortages during the war years were interesting times for club work. Gardens for the war effort and increased food production from all areas of agriculture were important.
Even during these difficult times, the objectives of the program of the time held fast — "to encourage improved agriculture practices, to provide practical education in agriculture and home economics and to train young people in citizenship" (excerpt from "Extension Service Director," W.S. Frazer’s annual report of 1942-43).
By 1963, 4-H had reached its 50th year in Manitoba and had responded to many changes in rural communities.
Ages of enrolment continued to change, and by 1970, the program consisted of members ages nine to 19 years. Multipurpose clubs began to arise, in part due to the wide variety of projects available in 4-H and the changes to rural living.
The ‘new’ projects of the 1970 through the 1990s included home economics projects such as home design, babysitting, on your own, home nursing and money management.
There was also a move to general projects to engage youth in activities outside of agriculture and home economics. Some of these projects included mechanics, make way for wildlife, woodworking, adopt-a-grandparent, microwave cooking, snowmobiling, rabbits and photography.
Light horse and pony projects became widespread in the early 1960s and the first 4-H Light Horse Show was held at the Provincial Exhibition in 1968. A new equine project series released in 2012 has the second-highest enrolment in the province.
In 2009, many of the popular 4-H projects were given a new look. Sewing became the fibres and fabrics series; cooking the food series; looking good and feeling great — the body works series.
To stay current and relevant to youth, new projects were developed in the technology series (digital cameras and presentations), the leadership series and the machine series (rocketry and welding).
Each series has the levels explore, discover and master, which help youth build on material they learn year to year.
The 4-H program has always been flexible. Projects that allow members to plan their own goals and actions have been available under different names over the years — self determined project, create-a-project and now pick-a-topic.
4-H projects have seen many changes over 100 years and many youth have had positive memorable experiences in clubs all across the country.
The goal of the 4-H program is no longer to help disseminate advanced agricultural information and techniques to rural farms but one purpose remains the same — the personal development of youth in rural Manitoba.
Building important life skills and character traits in youth — such as communication, decision-making, service ethic and responsibility, honesty and respect — will always be the objective of the 4-H program.
» Joanne Baker, PHEc, is a Rural Leadership Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives.
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition March 16, 2013
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Nearly all Manitobans have heard of the 4-H program. Many know it has ties to agriculture, public speaking and community service.
But where and how did this national program originate in Canada?
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Nearly all Manitobans have heard of the 4-H program. Many know it has ties to agriculture, public speaking and community service.
But where and how did this national program originate in Canada?
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