I Pledge My Heart to Greater Caring

  " So, I started out as one of those younger people. I attribute an incredible amount of who I am as a woman and as a leader today to being a part of 4-H and being able to lead, not just my friend, but to meet people from other places. And to be a leader in working with them as well and (learning) “don’t be afraid of people's differences”- you know, to get to know people that come from different places- it was very important to me being a leader." Lauren Nance      "Yes, cool, yes. Let's be honest- right- you guys were in Scituate- we were in Providence, they/we could have run very healthy clubs and have never interacted. We could have, we could have done just that- but somehow (I don't even know, we’d have to ask them, you know, what that conversation looked like) how they decided to get us ( sic-urban and rural kids ) together." Lauren Nance "You know, that it's more like 'a holding' them than a 'pushing' (type of learning

  A Collaborative 4-H Memoir- Youth and Leaders- 1985-1995:   Part 1- "I Give My Heart to Great Caring"     Compiled by  Sara Hutchings Schwartz  This is a work in progress. Thank you for joining our group on our journey. How did 4-H leaders in the mid-1980s- mid-1990s utilize care as an approach to youth work? What impact did this have on the youth and their sense of belonging and empowerment (leadership) within their communities and beyond?   These were the questions I was curious to know the answers to from my 4-H youth cohort. Many of us were connected to 4-H by our mothers, aunties, and community leaders in our own backyards or city blocks- who lead and organized 4-H programs- arranging safe spaces for us to meet. My own mother was a state 4-H Agent- and was in charge of training 4-H leaders, implementing 4-H contests, fairs, and 4-H State Teen (and local) Councils. When you are “in” and “of” a youth organization-it can make you acutely aware of your privilege- and mak

Darryl     Darryl- Part 1- Audio Link   Darryl - Part 2- Audio Link Sara- I’d invite you to share a little bit about your connection and involvement in 4-H youth programs we’re kind of focusing from the mid 80s to the mid 90s. And what was it that made you choose 4-H as a youth?   Darryl- Alright- I started 4-H when I was 11 which was not my choice- I would have actually would have rather been out with my friends- but my mom was like- you’ve gotta do this thing-  And at the time, her friend, Ms. Connie (Nance) had a program- at an inner city club for 4-H so that’s what all the other kids were doing on a Saturday morning- so that’s what I was doing on a Saturday morning.    You know, I got in and I liked it. It was a good group- we were a good group of kids. And the thing that kept me wanting to go back was the ability to do things that I had never done before. You know, I rode my first horse through 4-H- I milked my first cow through 4-H. Like I worked on my first farm,