4H Clubs: In Case of Apocalypse

A few times a year I leave the indulgent confines of my urban Los Angeles life and head off to Maine, where I enjoy ocean breezes (from the other side), lobster rolls, quieter days and nights, and my personal joy: the County Fair. I sit in the bleachers watching the 4H kids, marveling at how utterly different their experiences are from mine. The Washington post ran an article a few weeks ago: In Case of Apocalypse, Find the Nearest 4-H club, by Chloe Coleman.

I’m going to copy a few highlights here - I couldn’t write it better, and it’s worth repeating. Link through to the complete article. You should be able to read a few each month before the paywall kicks in.

Raising and training animals. Growing food. Fishing. Archery. Sewing clothes. Making preserves. These are some of the skills that humanity is going to need if one of the many fictional post-apocalypse narratives ends up coming true.

These clubs go beyond raising animals and tending gardens and strive to foster equality, inclusion and leadership. After all, we learn that the four Hs stand for a head for clearer thinking, a heart for greater loyalty, hands for larger service and health for the greater living for club, community, country and world.

I don’t relish imagining the end of modern civilization. But should it come, former 4-H’ers are the kind of community I want around me.

Equestrian 4-H’ers wait outside of an arena ahead of competing at the Knox County Fair in Mount Vernon, Ohio, on June 22. These photos were created on an iPhone using a filter. (Chloe Coleman/The Washington Post)