Why Youth Drop Out of 4-H

Since 1980, the number of youth enrolled in 4-H in Indiana has fluctuated greatly. While promotional efforts such as the "Say Yes to 4-H" campaign accounted for large increases in enrollment, no such obvious reason can be found for enrollment decreases in a given year. Why do youth drop out of 4-H? While Extension educators have speculated that 4-H loses youth to other activities, our recent survey of 4-H dropouts in Indiana has shown that youth generally leave the program due to dissatisfaction with club activities.

A dropout was defined as a youth who was enrolled in 4-H in 1989, but didn't re-enroll in 1990. Ten dropouts between 10-13 years old and 10 between 14-18 were randomly selected from 10 counties, one being selected by random sample from each Indiana Cooperative Extension geographical area. Five of each were interviewed. There were an equal number of rural, urban, and "mixed" counties in terms of population make-up. From a total of 100 youth, we were able to reach 92 of the dropouts for interviews about their total 4-H experience. After interviewing the youth, we also spoke with parents of 63 of them. Seventy youth reported that both parents worked outside of the home. Fifteen of the dropouts had divorced parents and one's father had died. Since half of the interviews were conducted over the phone, race and ethnicity of the youth weren't recorded.

The most frequent reason given by the youth for dropping out of 4-H related to displeasure with 4-H Clubs, ranging from boring meetings to not getting enough help with projects. The second most frequent answer was that the youth was too busy with sports, and the third was that he or she was too busy with a job.

The parents' responses reflected those of the youth. The answer most frequently given by parents was also that their child wasn't happy with the club. The second reason was also the same, that the youth was too busy with sports. The third most frequent reason given by parents was that the youngster was dissatisfied with projects.

The primary reason for dropping out-displeasure with the 4-H Club activity-is internal, not external, to 4-H Clubs, and their leaders. Dropouts and their parents acknowledged that most 4-H leaders in Indiana are volunteers, yet they still felt that leaders weren't doing enough.

Many expressed a desire for more specific project help at meetings, and that the meetings need to be "worth the time to go." This study suggests that Indiana leaders might need more support in programming for club activities. While leader training programs are in place, teaching materials such as videotapes and information packets might provide more help.

Youth also need to be involved in creating their own experiences. Older club members and junior leaders should be used to share their specific project knowledge. Junior leaders can also be effective in helping promote "extra" activities.

Parental support may be another necessary ingredient in retaining members and having successful 4-H Clubs. In our sample, only eight of the parents had ever helped with club activities and most only minimally helped the youth with projects.

Why do youth drop out of 4-H? Lack of time and interest among youth are causes that can't be easily addressed. However, by providing support for 4-H leaders through creative programming and encouraging increased parental support, club activities may improve and many youth might choose to "Say Yes to 4-H" for a longer period of time.

Although the results of this survey can be generalized only to the population of Indiana youth and parents sampled, it suggests that nationally Extension should be as concerned about the quality of its 4-H programs as it is about competing with other youth activities.