Senior Educator Encourages More Youth to Embrace the 4-H Clubs Movement

A senior educator is encouraging more Jamaican youth to join and embrace the local 4-H Clubs’ network, citing the myriad benefits to be derived through membership.

Morant Bay Primary School’s Jody Brown, who was recently crowned the 2022/23 LASCO/Ministry of Education and Youth/Jamaica Teaching Council Teacher of the Year, says his passion for the 4-H Clubs movement dates back to his youth, noting that his affiliation with the organisation helped to shape him into the person he is today.

Speaking with JIS News during the St. Thomas 4-H Clubs Parish Achievement Day expo at Port Morant Primary and Junior High School on March 28, Mr. Brown explained that “for me, 4-H was what actually propelled me into the world of cooking and into the world of being creative”.

“When I was at high school, I was given the opportunity to showcase [my] talents and display all the abilities that I had. So, for the youth to [now] have this opportunity, it is good for them,” the decorated educator, who is also the school’s 4-H Club Leader, added.

He posited that 4-H can enable persons who “may not be academically inclined, to be able to do something that will help them to become very productive in life”, citing the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (RYEEP) among the engagements so tailored.

“Through RYEEP, I have seen young persons receive the opportunity to become entrepreneurs. I am very pleased that the opportunity is there,” Mr. Brown stated.

Additionally, he said 4-H provides the opportunity for younger children to showcase their talent in speech, food preparation and agriculture, while giving them a platform to “become better in life”.

The teacher’s call for more of the nation’s youth to embrace the 4-H Clubs network and, by extension, agriculture, is based on lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent global disruptions.

“Based on what is happening in the world, we realise that we need to start producing our own food,” the St. Thomas native said.

He told JIS News that the future of agriculture is here and that persons can use technology to generate better yields.

Simply put, there is never a better time to get involved in the sector, Mr. Brown said.

Tuesday’s parish achievement day provided a platform for the best of the St. Thomas 4-H Clubs’ network to be on display through competitions such as food preparation, animal care and management, apiculture, champion youth farmers, food production, and speech.

Parish Manager, Nathelie Byfield, explained that the objective of the event is “to highlight our youth in the area of agriculture and fisheries”, and to serve as a “holistic approach” to supplementing sensitisation on food security.

“We want to help our youngsters to understand that agriculture is very important; it is critical for our country’s development as well as for our own survival. We want to also ensure that they understand the concept of food security,” she stated.

Ms. Byfield said the plethora of agencies and companies mounting displays at the expo, coupled with the interesting competitions, “were all combined to give one high-standard event”.
She further pointed out that training is a major component of the Jamaica 4-H Clubs.

“So by doing this, we allow and create a space for our youth and other persons to come and learn and see what the club is doing, in terms of bridging the gap between food security and food on a whole,” Ms. Byfield added.