SENATE RESOLUTION

                           8715

By Senators Rasmussen, Johnson, Spanel, Roach, Franklin, Sheahan, Kohl-Welles, Hewitt, Parlette, Honeyford, Fraser, Regala, Haugen, Eide and Sheldon, B.

     WHEREAS, 2002 is the Centennial Year of 4-H; and

     WHEREAS, The 4-H Youth Development Program has helped young people in Washington develop useful Alife skills@ since it was established in 1914; and

     WHEREAS, 4-H has served the youth of our country for a century; and

     WHEREAS, 4-H has withstood the test of time and changed with the times; and

     WHEREAS, Early programs focused on increased agricultural production and safe food preparation and preservation; and

     WHEREAS, During World War II, 4-H established itself as a program for urban audiences by focusing on victory gardens, salvage/recycling programs and bond campaigns; and

     WHEREAS, 4-H has had an international program since 1948, hosting and sending youth and adults to over sixty different partner countries; and

     WHEREAS, 4-H serves youth in rural, suburban and urban settings with research based programs in life skills education and emerging issues; and

     WHEREAS, The program centers on teaching young people to become productive members of society by fostering self-esteem, communication and decision-making skills; and

     WHEREAS, 86,500 young people throughout Washington participated in 4-H Youth Development programs in 2001; and

     WHEREAS, These programs help participants learn about a wide variety of subjects including: social, plant, animal and mechanical sciences; expressive and applied arts; family living; and environmental stewardship; and

     WHEREAS,  In addition to working with traditional community clubs, the programs reach youth through urban groups, special interest groups, nutrition programs, school enrichment, camping, home-school programs, and interagency learning experiences; and

     WHEREAS, the 4-H Youth Development Program promotes volunteer service by enlisting more than 10,000 volunteers statewide, who donate an average two hundred hours of their time during the year; and

     WHEREAS, In 2001, the program achieved its goal of reaching a more diverse audience as roughly twenty-seven percent of participants came from ethnic minority groups; and

     WHEREAS, More than three hundred 4-H members from around the state are currently visiting the State Capitol as part of a statewide education program titled A4-H Know Your Government@; and

     WHEREAS, Washington State University 4-H engages young people with their communities, fostering both their rights and responsibilities by focusing on community service learning; and

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the members of the Washington State Senate recognize the 4-H Youth Development Program for its many contributions to the youth of Washington and the betterment of our communities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Kevin Wright, the State Program Coordinator for the 4-H Youth Development Program.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8715,

adopted by the Senate February 1, 2002.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate