4-H Member retention has always been a concern with many members joining early at the ages of 9 and 10 and dropping out at ages 12 to 14. According to research (Ritchie and Resler, 1993) reasons for drop-out rate included: displeased with their 4-H club (boring meetings, not enough project help), too busy with sports or too busy with a job; lacked understanding of the 4-H program, its goals, activities, events and time commitment; never felt welcome or part of the group; and project groups didn’t meet often enough to satisfy children, conflicting time commitments (Astroth, 1985) and members who don’t complete projects are more likely to drop out (Woloshuk, Brown, Wagaman, 1999).

Compared to their peers, the findings in The Positive Development of Youth: Comprehensive Findings from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, shows that youth continue to be involved in 4-H programs excel in several areas:

Contribution/Civic Engagement - 4-H’ers are nearly 4 times more likely to make contributions to their communities  and 2 times more likely to be civically active 

Academic Achievement - 4-H young people are nearly 2 times more likely to participate in Science, Engineering and Computer Technology programs during out-of-school time and 4-H girls are 2 times more likely and nearly 3 times more likely to take part in science programs compared to girls in other out-of-school time activities. 

Healthy Living- 4-H’ers are 2 times more likely to make healthier choices

Even though retention problems exist in every 4-H program, Barren County 4-H was pleased to have thirteen 4-H members recognized at the KY 4-H Volunteer Forum as 10 Year Members. (The highest number in Kentucky). That is 130 years plus (many of the 4-H members began as 5 year old Cloverbuds) of 4-H experience. The 4-H Program has been credited with (for this group of thirteen 4-H members): providing skills to have a successful interview, acquiring offers and scholarships of approximately $200,000, choosing majors and career-paths, providing travel opportunities, competitive aspirations, providing a variety of experiences, stepping out of their “comfort zone”, discovering their passions, building confidence, communication, leadership and teamwork skills to prepare them for college and the “real world”. 

This Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development is very proud of the commitment of the youth and their families to the 4-H program. A BIG compliment to the 4-H program is when a parent or grandparent enrolls their child in 4-H because they want them to have the positive experiences they had as a 4-H member growing up. This raises the bar for the 4-H program to deliver and meet the expectations of the parents and their children, which can only be accomplished through the commitment of excellent volunteers.  This Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development is very proud of the commitment of the youth, their families and the volunteers to reach this milestone in the 4-H program.