4-H makes fresh appeal for volunteers with technical skills

The Barbados 4-H Foundation is seeking volunteers with technical expertise to help broaden its youth development programmes beyond traditional agriculture, Vice Chairman Osmond Harewood has said.

He made the appeal during the launch of the Barbados 4-H “Call to Volunteer” programme on Tuesday at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal Nutrition Unit in The Pine.

“Today we are making a simple yet important call. Give your time, share your talent, and help shape the future of all young people of our country,” Harewood told reporters

Volunteerism was about more than simply donating time, he said, describing it as “an investment in people”.

“Volunteers bring knowledge, experience, creativity, and practical skills that can make a meaningful difference in the lives of our young people.”

The initiative aims to strengthen 4-H clubs by expanding the organisation’s network of mentors, leaders and volunteers who could support its 4-H Forward curriculum.

The programme covers areas including agriculture and natural resources, healthy lifestyles, leadership, citizenship, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and youth entrepreneurship.

Harewood said: “Sometimes people tend to think that 4-H is just agriculture, and I think we want to show this is more than agriculture.”

The foundation was looking for people with skills in areas such as public speaking, leadership, citizenship, club management and finance, he added.

“What we are calling for is more technical skills within the clubs,” he said. “All those basic areas are part and parcel of what we are looking for [in] persons to come and give the technical skills to those young persons.”

He stressed that the organisation had not paused any of its current work due to a lack of volunteers, but was seeking more in-depth technical expertise across a wider range of disciplines.

“There’s nothing we have put a pause on. What we are saying is that many hands make light work, and right now the work on the few staff that we have is pretty heavy.

“We have skilled and talented persons in my business that could offer their services, but sometimes they’re waiting for somebody to call them. So we are saying yes, we need your skills.”

Vice Chairman Osmond Harewood and National Programme Coordinator Theodore Fraser. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt)

National Programme Coordinator Theodore Fraser said entrepreneurship was one area where additional volunteers were particularly needed.

“Definitely one of the areas is the whole emphasis on entrepreneurship,” Fraser said.

He explained that while young people were acquiring practical skills through 4-H, the organisation wanted them to learn how to turn those skills into sustainable opportunities.

“How do we transfer this into something that they can build a career from or earn from as well?” 

Fraser said the goal was to help young people use the skills gained through 4-H in “meaningful activities” after leaving school.

(SB)