The “Heart” of 4-H

When people unfamiliar with 4-H are introduced to the organization, they may hear the name and see the clover emblem with an H on each of the four leaves and wonder “What do those H’s stand for?”

Head, Heart, Hands, and Health are the four H’s in 4‑H and are solidified in the 4-H Pledge. This pledge is recited at all 4-H meetings as a way to set the tone, expectations and to invite everyone to come together as a group.

“I pledge my head to clearer thinking,

my heart to greater loyalty,

my hands to larger service, and

my health to better living,

for my club, my community, my country and my world.”

Heart of Volunteers

As we begin February, I thought it was only fitting to focus on the “H” for “Heart.” Volunteers and club members in 4-H show a lot of heart in many different ways!

• Volunteers show their “heart” by being caring role models. Their generosity may take the form of:
• Giving their time and talents freely to the youth they serve
• Allowing time for youth to reflect on successes, setbacks, growth, and pride.
• Planning developmentally appropriate activities and accommodating diverse learning styles.
• Providing numerous opportunities for youth to serve as teachers of others.
• Planning meaningful experiences with youth as partners in decision making.

Heart of 4-H Youth

For 4-H youth, generosity comes in the form of opportunities to value and practice serving others. This helps contribute to youth’s wellbeing and their connection to not only their club members and leaders, but also to their community as a whole. Youth may show “heart” by:

• Accepting differences of others.
• Learning appropriate conflict resolution and social skills.
• Further developing their cooperation and communication with others.
• Demonstrating caring behavior by showing empathy, sharing, having nurturing relationships and concern for others.

Johnson County K- State Research and Extension is proud to have so many participants of the 4-H program that show “heart” everyday! What are some ways that you could show your community and loved ones that you have “heart” this month?

Source: University of Florida