My decision to no longer continue with the 4-H program

Sometimes there comes a point in a person’s life when they need to make the decision that something isn’t worth it anymore. Whether it’s that someone is no longer happy doing what used to be their favorite activity, or that a friendship or relationship is not healthy. These decisions are difficult to make and can leave people wondering if they made the right decision or possibly lead a person to change their opinions on the subject multiple times. There are many reasons to decide that something is no longer worth the hassle it brings and many factors to consider when making that decision.  

For twelve years, I have been a beyond active participant in the Douglas-Sarpy 4-H program. I entered 20 or more items into the Sarpy County Fair every year, showed goats, sheep, chicken and rabbit, was an active member of three clubs, led a clover kid club and even participated in national 4-H training events. The only world of 4-H that I never entered was horses because I had no way of using a horse, but I still attend the horse show every year. 4-H had been the main factor in my life since the age of five, and for a long time I couldn’t imagine my life without the 4-H program.  

However, within the course of a year, I decided that 4-H was no longer a program that I needed to participate in. Even typing those words are difficult because of how important 4-H always is and was to me. Yet, within this 4-H season, I made the decision that I would no longer be as active in 4-H in the upcoming years. There were many reasons why I made this decision, but ultimately, the decision came down to three main factors: people, obligations and moving on.  

The first factor that helped make my decision was the people within the 4-H program. 4-H has been an opportunity for me to meet many people that I still consider my friends to this day. There are countless members of 4-H that I have looked up to since a young age, and many younger kids that I hope will be successful and have good experiences with 4-H. However, there is no one in the 4-H program that I have truly been friends with (that I do not see outside of 4-H) in many years. Additionally, after attending state and national 4-H programs during the year, I was able to see some of the bigotry and hatred coming from other people in the 4-H program. Comments coming from some of the youth and lack of response from the adults made me extremely disappointed in the program.  

The next factor that contributed was obligations. During fair week alone, I spend nearly every waking hour living at the fairgrounds. I also spend countless hours cleaning pens, practicing speeches, setting up tables, grooming animals and many other activities. I have learned a lot from all of these actions, but going into my senior year, I wanted more time to do things that I wanted to do and to participate in school activities.  

The most important factor in my decision to quit 4-H, however, was the desire to move on. I do not want to go into an agriculture career or study agriculture in college. 4-H has provided many opportunities and learning experiences that have truly shaped who I am as a person. That being said, I do not want to go through the rest of my life with an attachment to the 4-H program. I am excited to try new things and have new experiences, and I think I will be able to better enjoy those new challenges and experiences if I am first able to let 4-H go.  

I still have a lot of respect for the 4-H program, and I know that without 4-H I would not be who I am today. I still want to have 4-H in my life as an adult, but I do not want 4-H to be the main aspect of my life. Making this decision proves how much 4-H teaches life skills because even in the process of letting it out of my life, it is showing me that moving on and accepting change is important and a natural part of life.