Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. 4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills that Sydney Cho has been a member of for more than four years.
The main goals of 4-H are to develop initiative and assume responsibility, develop leadership and be of service to others, and achieve satisfaction from work and accomplishments.
“Nothing is comparable to the feeling when you’ve just planted a tree in a neighborhood or sewed sweaters for children in need,” said Cho.
4-H is project oriented; members select specialized projects in which they want to participate in for the year. Some projects that Cho has participated in are beach cleanups and tree planting in different neighborhoods.
“I volunteer because I feel awesome when I give back to my community. It really makes me appreciate a lot of the benefits around me that some areas don’t get to experience,” said Cho.
Cho not only feels a deeper appreciation for her surroundings but notices the positive impact joining 4-H has made on her life.
The idea of volunteering has become a normalized concept in Cho’s life.
“If [my parents] had not been involved in these things, my life would be completely different. I started out my volunteering with helping my mom out at PTA events. I always thought of volunteering as just something everyone should do. It’s just such a great experience helping others,” said Cho.
Cho has seen the impact 4-H has made not only on her individual self but her community as a whole.
“It’s cliche, but a little goes a long way. The slightest effort you put in to help someone other than yourself does so much to your outlook on life,” said Cho.
“It’s really cool that Sydney has found a way to give back to her community. It’s inspired me to help her on some of her projects for 4-H,” said junior Kayla Fong.
Getting involved in clubs like 4-H can open up many new doors such as expanding friendships and gaining new skills that can become lifelong assets.
4-H has meetings on the second Tuesday of each month and is open to all high schoolers. Belmont 4-H offers a smaller club atmosphere where members are comfortable with each other and can expand on their skills in a positive environment.
“For me, I love knowing I can do something, and that we as a generation have control over something,” said Cho.
