Youth Leading Youth A look at how a local 4-H club fosters growth and development for our kids You may have a vague idea what a 4-H club is. Something about…4-leafed clovers? Irish gardening maybe? We can all see the emblem but we may not know exactly what it stands for, so let’s just get that out of the way: The 4 H’s represent pledging one’s Head to clearer thinking, one’s Heart to greater loyalty, one’s Hands to larger service and one’s Health to better living. The green clover represents growth, and the white H’s representing the color of purity. How they accomplish all this is really up to each individual club via projects ranging from science to cooking to healthy living to mentoring to conflict management and more for youths ranging between the ages of 5 to 19. At about 2 years old and based in El Cerrito, the Wildcat 4-H Club has some interesting projects that consist of baseball and computer programming, sewing and baking, urban farming and poultry. “We encourage kids By Matt Larson to step up and follow whatever they are passionate about (with guidance, of course),” said Aubrey Stacy, Club President, Contra Costa County All-Star, Teen Leader and active member at Wildcat 4-H Club. “We are fostering some projects that this county has never seen—we have a really great baseball project where the kids learn how to score, we started a computer programming project this year—our 4-H club is ever-evolving with the times.” It’s all about “making the best better,” which is the 4-H motto. Stacy credits that motto with the development she’s seen in her peers over the years. “From a very young age kids learn how to participate in mature discussions, how to make their dreams realities, what it means to be part of a community and how they can help it grow,” she said. “Youth get a way to command their voice and hone their leadership abilities; I’ve seen kids that were once very shy go on to become the chairs of large 4-H events.” Wildcat 4-H began after Jen Komaromi and her husband discovered the benefits of 4-H at the Lamorinda club. “We made great friendships there and still partner with the Lamorinda club for many activities,” Komaromi said, now functioning as Wildcat 4-H’s Community Club Leader. “We recently launched rockets at Cerrito Vista Park for the rocketry project in conjunction with the Lamorinda club.” A big reason why Komaromi and her husband brought 4-H to West County is so their children could have a social club option with no discrimination of any kind.
Contra Costa Marketplace - April 2016
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