4-H Club International Cultural Diversity Day
 Culture is a broad term that encompasses beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and overall can be understood as our “way of being” and diversity is needed to change, grow, and innovate. 4-H fosters a welcoming environment where diversity is valued and individuals are encouraged to fulfill their greatest potential by integrating different ideas, beliefs and cultures.  The learning of Cultural Diversity is important because our schools, workplaces, and country, workplaces increasingly consist of various cultural, racial, and ethnic groups. In 4-H we can learn from one another, but first we must have a level of understanding about each other in order to facilitate collaboration and cooperation.

4-H International Cultural Diversity Days brings the ideal of Cultural Diversity to life. The Ohio County community has 10 ethnic groups that include Bosnian, Burmese, English, African American, French, Karenin, Napalm, Somali, Spanish, and Swahili. This virtual 4-H School Club program gives hundreds of young people the opportunity to experience diverse cultures and gain new understanding of the world. Forty-three virtual school clubs representing almost 1000 4-H members participated in 4-H International Cultural Diversity Day. Through oral presentations and electronic displays, 4-H members shared presentations about many cultures from around the world. Youth acquired an understanding about the people and lands that have given the United States so many of our favorite customs and foods. In this 4-H program the 4-H members take a fascinating tour of people and countries from around the world – sharing customs, culture, dance, history, traditions, and ethnic food recipes from these diverse cultures. 4-H members bring each of these unique diverse cultures right into their 4-H club meeting. 4-H members commented, “so many of our traditions and foods originated in other countries and cultures.” When our youth go out into their communities, they will come into contact with people from different backgrounds and walks of life, the practices they are taught and the things youth do help them become who they are.

Life Skills Learned

• Recognize that many diverse cultures exist in their community
• Empowering youth to respect each other’s differences
• Youth acknowledging that all cultural expressions are valid
• Youth value what cultures have to bring to the table
• Empower diverse youth to contribute to their club 
• Celebrating and accepting differences, not just tolerating them