The Rural Voice, 2005-11, Page 1690 years of being young
Since the first Bogs' and Girls' Club ivas formed in
Waterloo Countg in 1915, 4-H has become an essential
part of building tomorrow's rural leaders — not to
mention letting them have fun
By Keith Roulston
With his long career as an
elected representative to
the Ontario Legislature
from Huron and Bruce and his even
longer career in radio and television
as farm director of CKNX radio and
television, it's hard to believe that
Murray Gaunt was a shy youngster.
"I was quite shy," he recalled
recently. "I lacked a lot of confidence
to talk to anyone but people I knew
really well like my family. I was one
of those young people who learned to
express myself and stand up in front
of people through 4-1I."
As the 4-H movement in Ontario
marks the 90th anniversary of the
formation of the first club, Gaunt is
perhaps one of the highest profile
examples of the success of the
program in shaping future leaders.
but he's one of thousands of people
whose lives were changed by the
experience of 4-H.
Another booster is Hon. Lyle
Vanclief, former Minister,
Agriculture & Agri -Food Canada and
an ambassador for the Ontario 4-H
Foundation. "My years as a 441
member and leader were truly some
of the most influential in my life," he
says in a testimonial on the 4-H
Ontario website. "Over the past few
years I have met so many others who
also credit their skills as leaders to
their 4-H experience. They also state
how fortunate they were to benefit
from the support and guidance of so
many individuals and sponsors. I too
thank all those who were part of my
4-H life."
The transformation the 4-H
experience provides continues for
today's generation.
Nichole Moore of Seaforth is a 4-
H ambassador, an honour reserved
for the province's top 4-H members.
Asked what 4-1-1 has done for her she
12 THE RURAL VOICE
For members like Tyler MacPherson of Lucknow. seen receiving his ribbon
for Grand Champion Calf at the 2004 Brussels Fall Fair from Fair
Ambassador Candice McLellan, 4-H has always been a place for building
self-confidence.
replies "A lot. It's helped me become
more outgoing, more confident. It's
given me leadership skills. It has
opened the door to a lot of
possibilities."
Another 4-H ambassador is
Martina Pfister of Mitchell who
demonstrates some of the
opportunities 4-H provides aside
from the clubs, where she has
completed 26 projects including
dairy, veterinary, financial, cooking,
sewing, sports and recreation clubs.
Last summer she took part in a 4-H
exchange to Alberta and currently
has the opportunity to learn about the
differences between agriculture in
Britain and Ontario by hosting a 4-H
exchange member from Wales. She's
learned how different farming in
Wales is, where crops include
potatoes and sheep are the livestock
of choice.
As 4-H ambassadors, young
leaders are involved in speaking
about the value of 4-1-1. The
ambassadors have attended members
conferences, 90th anniversary parties
and other 4-H events, fairs, the
Outdoor Farm Show and the
International Plowing Match.
They're involved in trying to get
young people to join 4-H and to keep
members who are currently attending
interested in maintaining their
participation, says Moore.
"It's cool to be in 4-H," she says,
even though the interests of today's
young people extend to glitzy items
like video games. "Kids love to be
able to work with animals. They like
learning to take care of them."
Her biggest argument to a fellow
student is that 4-H provides youth
with an opportunity to learn a lot
about a lot of different topics, she
says.
Parents aren't hard to convince,