National Best Friend Day: A Sense of Belonging with 4-H

— Written By and last updated by Elisabeth Purser
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National Best Friend Day, Best Friends, How Can My Child Get FriendsIf you are familiar with 4-H, you know the four Hs focus on hands, heart, head, and health. Each of those Hs represents something. The Hand is all about generosity and hands to service. The Head is focused on independence and self-determination. Health is surrounded by mastery and teaching new skills. The Heart is all about belonging and creating positive relationships with other youth or a caring adults. In honor of National Best Friend Day, I wanted to share with you all about a sense of belonging with 4-H. 

A sense of belonging is created by one person – YOU. It is defined with a few keywords: acceptance, inclusion, support, encouragement, authenticity, and connection. The sense of belonging starts as soon as you walk into your first 4-H club meeting or the first person you meet in 4-H. How did it make you feel going to the meeting? Did you feel like you were a part of the club or event? 

4-H has several opportunities for individuals to gain a sense of belonging and meet who could potentially be their new best friends. A few opportunities include summer fun, overnight camp, club meetings, annual leadership and citizenship conferences like NC 4-H Congress and Citizenship Focus, or county-wide events such as 4-H Expo, clinics, workshops, etc. 

To learn about the other opportunities or ways to practice the sense of belonging, contact the local 4-H office at 704.283.3735 or 704.283.3740.