The second ‘H’ is for Heart

“I pledge my heart to greater loyalty”…..As I was listening to our Tumbleweeds say the 4-H pledge out loud, I mulled this part of the pledge around in my thoughts. Just what exactly does it mean to pledge our hearts to greater loyalty? What does that look like? While heart encompasses so many things, here’s my personal take on what the H for Heart stands for and why it acts as an important part of 4-H and life.
Caring
For adults and members alike, the H for Heart means caring not only for yourself, but more for the others around you, your projects, your community, and beyond. The greater loyalty is simply loyalty beyond yourself. With the second H, you pledge to uphold the higher ideals of putting others first, remaining faithful to each other, and to lending a helping hand to anyone who may need it. What does this look like in our 4-H program? It’s leaders devoting hours of time to sharing their resources, gifts, passions, and knowledge with youth. It’s our members lending help to a friend before a show, encouraging one another, being a good sportsman, doing something nice for someone else, becoming friends with people who are different, etc. 
Empathy
The ability to feel and understand the way another person feels shows a lot of heart and is a key component to caring. In 4-H, we help foster a learning environment where children may develop the capacity to empathize with others. This is done by helping children explore and experience environments outside their day-to-day lives in safe ways. Some examples include when our members participate in club meetings, go to the county’s youth camp, compete at State Fair, take part in a national teen leader retreat, or go on an international trip. The more our youth connect with people who are different than themselves, explore ideas that are new and challenging, and learn how to work toward a common goal with others, the more they will learn about empathy. 
Giving
When we care about people and are empathetic toward different situations and circumstances, giving can put action to our cause. The final component of the H for Heart I would like to discuss is giving. When our members and adults clean up a highway, spend time with the elderly in our community, help with different charitable events, or take responsibility to serve on a committee or board, they are giving. When we give, we build a stronger community. When we build a stronger community, we have a sense of belonging. When we have a sense of belonging, we can take pride in our community and want to give something back. 
Caring for others, being empathetic, and giving to others all encompass the second H for Heart in 4-H. When we pledge our hearts to greater loyalty, let us remember we are pledging to something greater than ourselves. It is for the betterment of ourselves, our clubs, community, country, and world. It starts with you, and it starts with me. Remember the second H is for Heart.