OXNARD : 4-H Changing to Suit Life in Suburbia

Eduardo Mendoza, 10, sat against the door of the cafeteria at Rio Plaza School in Oxnard and slowly hammered a nail through a pie tin, making a flowered design.

Once the hole-punched design was finished, lace and ribbon would be attached, making an attractive wall hanging.

“It’s a gift for my mom,” the Oxnard boy said proudly.

Craft projects like the tin punch, rocketry and cooking are all part of a hands-on program to bring the 4-H organization to youngsters like Eduardo who will never raise a sheep or steer for the county fair.

4-H is an organization for boys and girls ages 9 through 19 that is run by volunteers, said Anita Wilvert, an adult leader. In the past, 4-H has been known for its animal husbandry projects, but “it’s not just cows and cooking now, because so there’s so much suburban life,” she said.

Wilvert started the after-school group that meets every Wednesday at Rio Plaza School. Beginning the first Friday in July, the group will move to the Roger Jones Community Center in El Rio for the summer.

Wilvert, a 4-H leader for 10 years, is the parent of two grown daughters who have gone through the traditional 4-H program of raising animals.

“When I first got into 4-H here, there were 15 kids raising steers and sheep. Now there are only two,” Wilvert said. “The whole thing is changing, with an overall decline throughout the county. We are trying to introduce the organization to other children, so they can make a decision to go in the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or 4-H.”

The after-school group is a pilot program that has about 25 youngsters involved in various projects, with older members from the Del Norte 4-H, which covers Oxnard and Port Hueneme, acting as mentors and instructors.

Because the mentors are available, “the kids at Rio Plaza School get the benefit of a 4-H project-type program, without having to get their parents involved,” said Lawrence K. Yee, the county’s 4-H youth adviser. “At the same time, older members get to practice using their skills to teach younger kids.”

Julie Hupp, 14, is president of the Del Norte 4-H. Julie was in charge of a game of bingo last week that introduced various food groups. She told the youngsters that it is important to get up 15 minutes early before going to school to make a healthy breakfast using the basic food groups.

“We treat them like adults instead of like children,” Julie said about the after-school program.

Rosa Vanoni, 12, another member of the Del Norte club, agreed. “Kids learn more from other kids,” she said.