Dear Bonny and Lactnetters:

A bit of an addendum to Leslie's post.

4-H is a program of the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service, which is
part of the USDA (which, by the way, also houses the WIC program).

Each state creates its own specific programs and materials within a
general framework established by the National 4-H Council.  County
agents work with these materials and in cooperation with the State to
offer programs (including speech competitions, etc.)

In many areas, 4-H has had to radically re-define itself to be more
accessible to urban dwellers, although 4-H has always had components
that are non-agricultural.  I was a 4-Her for 10 years in purely urban
clubs (in Nebraska) and participated in Singing, speech, judging,
modeling, citizenship, counseling, bicycle rodeos, camping, home
decorating, cooking and sewing.

In Kentucky, our Cooperative Extension Offices are coordinating projects
to provide counseling and outreach to pregnant teens, which includes
info on breastfeeding and other issues of nutrition.

So, how to help our aspiring speech champion?

1.  Discuss the issue with the Chief 4-H Agent in the County. You may
want to address the following points:
** The 4 H's are "Head, Health, Heart, Hands, and ".  This member was
coordinating all 4 of the H's in her talk, and should not have been
reprimanded (certainly not in public).  The 4H pledge is "I pledge my
head to clearer thinking, my health to better living, my hearter to
greater loyalty and my hands to larger service for my club, my
community, my country, and my world."  Certainly sounds a lot like
breastfeeding, if you ask me!

** As a project of the USDA, the 4H program should be supportive of bf
re: the millions of dollars being spent to support it through the WIC
program.

** Did this competition have any specific guidelines about unsuitable
topics?  Would someone giving a talk on Gothic clothing, hairstyles and
lifestyles received the same reprimand (eg. Marilyn Manson)? What about
body piercing?  What about (heaven forbid) HIV?  If there were no
guidelines about excluded topics, then these judges have overstepped
their bounds.

** As a county program (with an agricultural bent?), what do 4H manuals
for Massachusetts say concerning maternal nursing for other mammals?
Horses, pigs, sheep, etc.


2. If #1 is less than satisfactory, have the same conversation with the
appropriate agent at the State level.

I would also suggest using the AAP document, maybe getting some support
from the state/county WIC agency.

I hate to think that this 9 year old (probably in her 2nd or 3rd year of
4-H) is going to be turned off from this great program because of the
stupidity of a couple of adults.

Hey -- how about having her come to the ILCA conference?  I know a lot
of LCs would really find it heartening and refreshing (nothing like a
standing ovation to really boost the self-esteem of a 9 year old).

Good Luck!!!

--Doraine Bailey
(who notes that now that the ILCA WBW Action Kit is done, maybe I can
get back to old 4-H activities like fashion sewing, gourmet cooking, and
heirloom gardening.  Maybe I'll submit my 4H oatmeal cookie recipie to
the ILCA Cookbook!)



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