West Virginia’s 4-H program, operated by West Virginia University in all 55 counties, stepped from its local stage to capture two nationalfirststhis week.

Both occurred during the fall meeting of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees in Morgantown. It’s the first time ever the Board has met at a land-grant university.

During a nationally broadcast portion of the meeting today (Sept. 30), the leader of the federally funded 4-H program emphasized theEssential Elements of 4-H,which are the core of the youth development program. Cathann Kress, Ph.D., explained the vital role the elements play in helping youths meet their personal needs and develop their skills.

Kress provides national leadership for youth development issues at National 4-H Headquarters within the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service in the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

During the meeting, the secondfirstoccurred. WVU president David C. Hardesty Jr. made history when he began his two-year leadership of the board of trustees. The National 4-H Council is a private foundation that supports 4-H’s state, national and international educational activities.

Hardesty, who joined the board in 2000, is the first university president to chair the National 4-H Council, or its predecessor organizations, in its 102-year history. He succeeds Gary L. Davis of J.C. Penney Co. Inc.

4-H is praised throughout the nation and copied throughout the world for its success in helping young people develop into successful, contributing adults. I am proud of 4-H, and I am very proud of the WVU Extension Service’s role in developing 4-H in West Virginia and in other states,Hardesty said.

According to a recent two-year study in the state of New York, young people who participate in 4-H clubs do better in school, are more motivated to help others and are developing skills in leadership, public speaking, self-esteem, and communication and planning.

Both Hardesty and Kress said they plan to build on that solid foundation of success.

For example, West Virginia, the home of the nation’s first state 4-H camp�€WVU Jackson’s Mill, near Weston�€is the nation’s leader in county and state summer learning (summer camp) programs. Working with Kress, the WVU Extension Service will become amentorfor other states that want to enhance their camps’educational programs.

At the heart of the national focus on camping�€and other future programs�€will be the Essential Elements of 4-H Youth Development. Volunteers, public school teachers and university professors from throughout the United States were among the viewing audience who watched Kress diagram the necessities of youth development.

Kress explained the challenge: All young people will find some way to meet their basic needs, to build their skills and values, and to use their skills and energies in ways that will make them feel good. The ways they find, however, may be positive (filled with promise and success) or negative (blemished with loss and trouble).

The Essential Elements, she said, distill the essence of what youths are seeking and provide a guide for those working with youths. Each element must be met, she said.

The 4-H model says that youths need positive relationships with caring adults, opportunities for belonging, experiences with hands-on learning, opportunities to master problem-solving skills and opportunities to value and practice service to others.

4-H is successful because 4-H’s learn-by-doing, volunteer-guided activities have many or all of these components. Now, Kress said, research underscores the importance of making sure that future activities incorporate each of the elements.

The Essential Elements of 4-H Youth Development provide the foundation of our program and ensure significant impact. . . . The Essential Elements help us to make strategic decisions as we plan programs and highlight the uniqueness of the youth development approach within 4-H,Kress said.

Hardesty acknowledged the vital role the elements play in program development.

Since I assumed the presidency of WVU , our top priority has been creating a student-centered living and learning environment on campus. We have received national awards and recognition for creating a host of innovative programs. . . . These measures have been highly successful, because at their core, they draw upon the same principles that have been transforming lives through 4-H for more than 100 years,he said.

4-H is a community of young people across America who learn leadership, citizenship and life skills. More than 7 million youth, ages 5 to 19, participate in 4-H Youth Development experiences in all 50 states and in U.S. territories and U.S. Army installations worldwide.

In West Virginia, more than 56,000 young people participate in 4-H through leadership provided by WVU Extension Service Extension educators and volunteers. 4-H Youth Development is the only youth program that ties both public and private resources to supporting the positive and successful development of youth. In West Virginia, county boards of education, county 4-H foundations, civic organizations and private businesses help support community 4-H programs.

For information about local 4-H clubs and activities, contact a county office of the WVU Extension Service or visit WVU Extension’s Web site ( http://www.wvu.ext.edu ).