volunteer
Children – The Building Blocks of Every Nation
I saw him lying half-awake under a push cart. His tender and fragile face told me that something must be making him sleepless – something must have been bothering him at such a young age when other children of his age don’t have to carry the weight of the world. I was to have a series of such sleepless night when I was haunted by the image of that boy. Here I was lying on a neatly made bed, my hunger satisfied with homemade food and an air conditioner whirring, thinking about that boy. I wondered how many such children are out there in my locality and across the entire nation. His image – poorly clad with the body left to the mercy of the blood sucking insects – contrasted with the eternal bliss I was living in was more disturbing. I was trying hard not to ruminate about the boy; thankfully the chores at the office let me go easy on myself for a while.
I could not erase the image of the boy from my thoughts for days together. Whenever I bumped into kids of the same age I thought about him. For me he represented the society’s poverty and indifference towards the future generation. We are so lost in the maddening crowd and so caught up in the race of life to stand out, pause and ponder.
Consider the 4-H Program For the Development of Youth Leadership Skills
Leadership skills can be learned and developed. They include the necessary qualities to guide an individual or group from one point or task to another. Leaders will use their personal knowledge, skills and influence to establish necessary relationships with people and help others meet their goals. Now, how can you relate these qualities to your child and help him or her to become an effective leader? Did you ever think about encouraging them to participate in your county’s local 4-H program?
Consider this: 3,500, 518,000, 60 million & 6 million. Those are some large numbers but what exactly do they represent? 4-H.org states that there are 3,500 staff members, 518,000 volunteers (much like myself) and 60 million alumni members working with 6 million 4-Her’s all across the United States, Puerto Rico and 80 plus countries around the world, to increase one specific thing – leadership skills among today’s youth.
