4-H Club Program, bragTAG Certified!

9 Jan

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4-H club boys learning to bud

The 4-H Club Program is bragTAG’s newest addition to our bragTAG Certified Series!  4-H is an international non-profit organization founded in the US circa 1902. This truly awesome and influential association focuses its resources by engaging youth in urban, suburban and rural communities and encouraging them to participate in robust programs designed to address issues in the areas of Science, Citizenship and Healthy Living.

4-H Mission Statement

The 4-H website states that its mission “is to advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities by creating opportunities for youth”.  [College admissions counselors are watching for these kinds of activities!]

Some Famous 4-H Alums

Assisting in carrying out this ambitious mandate are 540,000 volunteers, 3,500 professionals and 60 million alumni coordinating a myriad of programs designed to shape the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. In a word – WOW!

A quick look at 4-H alums reveals very famous and recognizable names such as:  Vice President Al Gore, First Lady Rosalyn Carter, former NFL players Archie Manning and Herschel Walker, Harvard president Drew Faust, Astronaut Jerry Ross, Garfield creator Jim Davis and entertainers Faith Hill and Reba McIntyre! These 4-H members personally attest to the positive rewards, life skills and personal satisfaction gained from participating in extra-curricular activities run by 4-H. The benefits of participating in extracurricular program like those of the 4-H Club program can be found in all areas of today’s as well as tomorrow’s ways of life!

4-H College Affiliations

The 4-H motto is “to make the best better” and does so through leading by example. 4-H Clubs can be found leading communities large and small in 80 countries around the world; many partnering with extension programs of notable universities. A few of these are University of New Hampshire, Iowa State, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Rutgers.  In fact, a virtual 4-H Fair was held through the Iowa State University Extension Program.  Many 4-H Club participants use prize money won at 4-H fairs to help pay for their college tuition!

Visionary Leadership

The 4-H Club program continues to thrive by modifying and expanding its programs to meet the ever-changing demands of the communities it serves. An example of such leadership is its Annual 4-H National Youth Science Day.  At this event, October 2010, youth participants presented projects focusing on challenging global issues such as climate change, workforce development and technological innovation. The recognized importance of this event is evidenced by the names of international corporations who sponsored the program: Toyota, BAE Systems, John Deere, Karo and IBM.

Wired & Accessible

4-H recognizes how the advent of the Internet can be utilized in promoting its mission and programs and maintains a well-designed website, www.4-h.org, full of information regarding membership, volunteer opportunities, useful videos, and alumni accomplishments.  4-H also maintains a strong presence on their 4-H Facebook Fan Page and 4-H on Twitter.

Get This on Your College bragSHEET!

If you are interested in becoming involved with this wonderful program, we suggest you check them out – this is an organization that will help on your college application and beyond!  Opportunities to utilize your unique talents abound in the 4-H Club program, and be sure to incorporate them into your college bragSHEETs!

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bragTAG Certified - The National Beta Club

This post is the second in a new monthly series called, “bragTAG Certified!” – where we’ll feature a new academic/service organization every month.  It is our fondest hope that high school students and parents take a close look at these organizations, and their ability to not only help in the college admissions process – but to transform the lives of members and lives in the community as well!

Welcome Cathy Henry!

The bragTAG team would like to welcome our new Marketing Coordinator, Cathy Henry, a professional, super-passionate, well organized and all around great person! If you know Cathy, leave a comment below with your congrats and input!  Thank you for joining us Cathy, we are extremely excited!

  • John Incantalupo

    Some or our readers referred to a recent Princeton study which notes that 4-H participation may not be favorable on an application to the very elite Ivy League institutions. If you get a chance to peruse the study by Espenshade and Radford, you will find that this is primarily a demographic bias, as well as a class bias which have been long-suspected at these institutions – and confirmed by this one study. We stand by our blog post above, however, as most high school students in the country don’t even have a thought of applying to these schools – and the schools they are applying to have a much greater appreciation for participation in programs like 4-H – as well they should – 4-H is a wonderful leadership experience for high school students and bodes well for the future of these students, as evidenced by Harvard President Drew Faust, a 4-H alum himself.