Significance of 4-H exists even in suburban society

A 4-H program in a built-up suburban area such as Naperville may seem like a quaint throwback to an earlier day - when the area was largely rural and kids helped out on the family farm.

But to that extent, so is the school year that allows for summers off for those kids to tend to their chores for much longer hours during peak periods.

And while occasionally districts experiment with year-round school, they always go back to the tried-and-true school year that allows for the summer off.

Like the traditional school year, the 4-H hangs on, and while the farming purpose for it has mostly disappeared, it still engages youngsters ages 8 to 19 with numerous programs.

In fact in highly "suburbanized" DuPage County alone, there are 19 different 4-H groups of the 1,830 groups statewide.

The 4-H in Illinois is run by University of Illinois extensions.

Projects undertaken by 4-H members in DuPage range from the traditional ones dealing with animal husbandry and crops to such things as the performing arts, visual arts, citizenship, family relations, entomology, photography, computers and communications.

By the way, the name 4-H is in reference to the head, heart, hands and health and is found in the organization's pledge:

"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."

That pledge, along with the 4-H motto ("To make the best better") and the members creed, which expands upon the pledge, give the youths who join 4-H some pretty fine guidelines for life.

As a society we tend to downplay the good influence that organizations such as 4-H, Scouting, the various YMCA youth programs and others can have on our offspring during their formative years.

It's so much better for kids to spend their time in these sorts of organizations than cruising the Internet.

As a news story in yesterday's Sun revealed, 4-H programs statewide dodged a bullet when Gov. Rod Blagojevich withdrew a threat made earlier this month to withhold $18 million from extensions throughout the state - including $99,000 for the DuPage extension.

To be sure, organizations such as 4-H may not be a high priority for this governor, but funded by state money or not they still have a role to play in the maturation of today's youth - and they provide a positive impact in an age that has more than its share of negatives.