becoming

The 4H Idea

I am going to be giving the Keynote address at the Southern Region 4H Volunteer Forum in Little Rock, Arkansas tomorrow.  I wanted to have a napkin specifically for 4H but was having a hard time visualizing it.  Luckily, as I was writing the commentary for a napkin I was drawing earlier this week I came up with this quote.  It started me thinking about what I know of the 4H Organization and how it all seems to be about helping young people become who they want to become.  

It’s a tricky thing, this becoming.  We are constantly becoming something new in mind and in body, even us old people. But it is especially true of young people.  They are going through a tsunami of becoming as they grow.  Our job as parents, as volunteers, as teachers, as mentors, is to figure out the best ways to help these young people navigate through this tsunami of change.

I love the simplicity of the 4H idea: Becoming takes place in four arenas of life; Head, Hand, Heart and Health. That is what it’s all about.

The Balancing Act

It acknowledges that our thinking, working, caring, and fitness all need to develop in balance with one another. It’s not enough just to be a model of bodybuilder perfection or look great in a bikini if you aren’t able to think critically about the world. It’s not enough to be a theoretical genius in neuroscience if you fail to love your neighbor.  It’s not enough to be always working, earning all the money in the world, if you ignore your health.  

Leading the Way

They all work must in concert with one another if we want to be the person we really want to be. And as any kid will tell you, they are watching our example much more than our words. So if we want our youth to be balanced, guess what? We have to lead the way.

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Drawing, commentary and quote by Marty Coleman

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