Youth need the foundation 4-H provides

Editor:

I send this note to express to you and others my concerns about the loss of funding for our county 4-H program.

All four of my children were involved in 4-H as children, and in adulthood one son (and his wife) and one daughter (and her husband) have also been involved.

It provided an opportunity for us to work together with a very specific goal in mind. Some of the projects were livestock related, and some were just the child’s performance, but each taught something in addition to learning the role of individual responsibility.

During the time I served as judge for the Carroll County Juvenile Court, we used a program for youth involved in the court system with some surprising results.

The 4-H diversion program required each youth to participate in the program with a responsible adult. The results were quite a surprise. The most often-repeated comment by the adults in the program was their surprise at the talent of their child.

From the perspective of one who spent time dealing with troubled youth, the 4-H program provided on of the most important needs of the child — quality time with an adult. Young folks need an example to copy in order to develop their own idea of who they want to be as an adult, and in our community, 4-H has been the key ingredient for the rural youth.

There can be no more important goal for any community than providing a solid foundation for our youth.

John H. Weyand
Carrollton, Ohio