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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1962)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 1962 4-H Club Program Teaches Responsibility Thumble Finders, Tricky Trotters, Cudchewers these are only a few of the orig in! names given by 4-H club members to their clubs in the Rogue Valley. Four-H is a voluntary youth organiza tion designed to give young people training in citizenship, ieadership, and responsibility. It was started in the early twentieth century, and at about the same time in most parts of the country. Original ly it was handled through the offices of the county school superintendent. In Oregon it is now a feature of the ex tension service of Oregon State university. The program was started as a rural program, but as cities grew and suburbs developed, the rural aspect of the clube lessened. There are now many clubs in Med ford and the im mediately surrounding area. In the Central Point area fclone are about 300 of the fiOO Rogue Valley 4-H club members. Own Project Expenses This government supported youth program has members from nine to 21 years of age. Although printed materials and extension agent fees and salaries are paid from federal funds, the youngsters pay for their own project expenses. Each 4-H club has a volun teer adult leader. The pur pose of the leader is to pro vide some supervision, help with the projects, and to en courage formation of demo cratic club organization. The overall program for the clubs is set up at Oregon State university. There, ex tension leaders and 4-H com mittee members meet in the form of an advisory board to write a general program from which clubs operate. This gen eral structure serves approxi mately the same function as a course of study in a school.. It provides a general pattern from which the clubs may work. Within this course each club is free to plan and exe cute its own program, setting Us own pace. The maximum amount of personal responsi bility is left the clubs them selves. Two Extension Agents Working with the leaders ff the clubs in Jackson county arc two county extension agents. Miss Phyllis Kirkland and Jerry Brog. Other agents contribute their services when Ihe clubs are working with something within their spe cially. These agents meet with the club leaders, teach ing them the projects so that t hey ca n pass t he in f orma tion on to the club members. The leaders then supervise the meetings of some 117 clubs in the valley. They study in such fields as agri culture, home economics, wood working, and photog raphy. Individual projects be ing studied may include sew ing, cooking, farm implement operation, or livestock rais ing. HesUies the responsibility f working out their own pro gram, club members elect Iheir own officers, preferably very six monlhs. Tliis gives young people the experience cf office holding and what it C nlails. It is reported that a high p rcentnge of youngsters who have belonged to 4 11 clubs t nter and successfully com plete college. Their study in Ihe 4-H program, however, does not necessarily correlate with their major field of study in college. Part of their suc cess may be attributed, it is filt. to the fact that the type if children who join 4-H are many times those of high in itiative, since it is a volun tary organization requiring a good deal of time and effort. An additional factor is that few of those belonging to 4-H have any trouble with juven ile authorities. As the 4-H program is not at all selec tive, this may be clue to the m nsc of responsibility and well-being given by member ship in the club. From the local membership level, 4-H club members can progress to attendence at such statewide activities as the an nual 4-H summer school, held in June; the Know Your State Government conference in Salem, held in February; and the national 4-H club confer ence, held each summer in Washington, D.C. Outstanding 4-H club members are chosen to attend these various upper level activities. In addition, both state and national scholarship are avail able to outstanding club mem hers. Barbecue Dinner Scheduled Aug. 18 Members of valley 411 clubs and the Jackson county fair board will sponsor a barbecue dinner Saturday, Aug. 18, al 6 p.m. at the 4-H fairgrounds. The barbecue is held for 4-H members, their parents, and purchasers of 4-H animals at the auction, also held Saturday. .. 9 BEEF ENTRY-Dick Field, member of West- fitting events during the Central Point tide 4-H Beef club and Crater FFA, partiei- Westside 4-H Pre-fair recently. He is in the pated in both the beef showmanship and senior division. JACKSON and JOSEPHINE COUNTY DAIRY FARMERS 9 : rfPM f tirrT- ' ' Urge You To , -Ut- 'f-fc-n C f ' b&TT Attend The TAKES ENERGY To Hold a Fair! Livestock muM be caielully gtoonicd and Ir ,nspof led, d't'i'V bc-c'ths muit be creeled, coc rdma lion nd ct-ntinuity ct the . incus sht w , must h arranged . . . and the hurry ,ind scurry of it fll titkrs energy'" That's why MILK is it Ctntt.mt ni-cevjily every day Milk Supplies the need d vttamin and t ne r qy to keep 1 1 ve pt i -pie , young ond t Id alike, in the pink cf condition. COORDINATED MILK SALES JacEcson County FAIHGROUMDS August 13 through 18 See Tomorrow's Farmers Today! Boys nd girls will proudly display their skills, livestock, farm nd garden products nd many other accomplishments that indicate their progress toward being the leaders and home makers of the future. It's a show well worth your time. It shows how parents and cut o( school educators can mold today's youth into useful, dedi cated citizens upon whose shoulders lie the responsibilities of continued progress in our country. Drink at least 3 Glasses of Milk a Day!
