4-H program needs to evolve in order to survive

4-H is an internationally known youth program, known for helping kids learn life lessons and spreading new ideas about agriculture. However, agriculture is the only area in which new ideas are being spread, as throughout the entire organization, nearly all of the participants have the same ideas. This version of group think is not good and should not be encouraged, as overall nearly all of the youth in 4-H are spreading racist and homophobic ideals.  

4-H was founded in 1902 by AB Graham as a way for farm kids to learn new farming skills that their parents would be unwilling to accept. From this point onward, 4-H has mostly served youth in agricultural settings, teaching them farming skills and livestock management. Most of the participants in 4-H live in small towns and villages, (yes, villages still exist in the United States), not in large cities. These small towns refuse to change their ideals or accept anything that they do not understand. Unlike cities, most of these towns do not have a large African American population, and most people have had no one to challenge their undying beliefs. 

Even to this day, many of the small towns refuse to admit to the existence of the LGBTQ+ community and do not accept people of color. At National 4-H Congress, nearly 1,000 of the ‘best’ 4-H members from around the country met in Atlanta, Georgia, and it quickly became obvious that much of the 4-H community still has homophobic and racist values. Derogatory and offensive terms could often be heard during the conference, and people who were openly gay were quickly shunned and ignored by the other 4-H members.  

The United States is working towards being more accepting of all people, and overall is working towards being having equality for everyone. If the 4-H program is unable to adopt this line of thinking, it will quickly be shunned and ignored by the majority of the United States. The majority of 4-Hers, nationwide, live in small towns and villages. Some of the smallest 4-H programs are from large cities, which have the biggest population. Cities are also the fastest growing areas, where as small agricultural towns are quickly shrinking. 4-H will quickly begin to lose members if it is not able to evolve into a less racist and homophobic organization, as that is what is needed in larger cities.