Current and past Monroe County 4-H members gathered Sept. 26 at the Monroe County History Museum in Waterloo and reminisced about their experiences in 4-H, including the different types of clubs, project opportunities and volunteer roles as they grew into adulthood. 

Participants brought memorabilia to share from their time in 4-H and discussed the differences between how the organization has changed over the decades and how things have stayed the same. 

Key components of 4-H that many agreed have stayed the same are the development of taking on responsibilities, public speaking skills, record-keeping skills, and project learning that young people carry with them as they pursue careers, community volunteering and grow families. 

4-H began in Monroe County in 1919, open to boys only and consisting of corn, soybean and calf clubs. In 1926, girls clubs developed which consisted of mainly sewing and eventually cooking. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, co-ed clubs began emerging and more project opportunities slowly became available. 

Today, 4-H is open to all youth and nearly 100 project opportunities abound from animal science to electricity, robotics, cooking, visual arts, photography, woodworking and more. 

4-H is America’s largest youth development organization and has a formal connection to university programs that are research-backed with positive youth development curricula. 

4-H participants are four times more likely to make a positive contribution to their community, and 4-H alumni are three times more likely to participate in community service. 

4-H enrollment for the 2024-25 year begins now until Jan. 1. Contact Kelly Brandt at kmbrandt@illinois.edu or 618-939-3434 for more information.