CORVALLIS, Ore. — The learning curve was steep for Beverly Hobbs in the 1990s when she began leading an initiative to attract Latino families to 4-H.
Extremely steep.
“It was a straight line up,” said Hobbs, who was only a few years into her career with the Oregon State University Extension Service’s 4-H Youth Development Program.
Under Hobbs’s leadership, her team designed, implemented and evaluated culturally responsive 4-H programs to engage Latino youths and families. Her work later led to invitations from other states for individual consultations and workshops at eight national conferences.
“It was such a learning experience for me, and a life-changing one,” Hobbs said. “It’s definitely one of the proudest moments of my whole career.”
National recognition for inclusive leadership
Hobbs was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame on Monday evening at the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals conference in Boise, Idaho. She and 14 other individuals were honored for exceptional leadership at the local, state, national and international levels.
Over her 15-year career at Oregon State, Hobbs’s work was recognized by 4-H faculty internally and externally and helped shape 4-H programs in Oregon and across the nation. She was inducted into the Oregon 4-H Hall of Fame in 2016.
Even with her accomplishments, Hobbs said she was surprised by the national honor.
“I had absolutely no idea,” she said. “I prefer to stay in the background, so the attention is uncomfortable for me. But I am honored to be recognized in this way.”
Expanding access to 4-H
In her leadership role, Hobbs partnered with local Latino organizations and county 4-H faculty to develop culturally responsive after-school programs based on community interests. While some offerings reflected traditional 4-H subject areas, others introduced new topics such as technology exploration, cultural and performing arts, and soccer.
Hobbs also developed the curriculum Que Rico, which was later made available nationally. She produced a video explaining 4-H and encouraging Latino participation that was distributed in more than 30 states and served as a co-leader for the 4-H National Learning Priorities Team: Expanding Outreach to New and Underserved Audiences.
“When I started my position as a 4-H specialist, I noticed that while the number of Latino youths in Oregon schools was increasing every year, few were participating in 4-H,” Hobbs said. “The obvious question was, ‘Why aren’t they participating?’ Initially, we heard that Latino families didn’t seem interested. But when we looked deeper, we realized our lack of connection with the community was the problem. A dedicated outreach effort was needed.”
Hobbs and her colleagues also recognized that recruitment materials and meeting announcements were only available in English.
“We also knew we had to hire staff who could speak Spanish,” she said.
From 1997 to 2009, Hobbs secured $1.8 million for Oregon’s Latino outreach efforts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, foundations and other sources. Those investments contributed to a 400% increase in Latino youth participation in Oregon 4-H programs.
Creating Cloverbuds
Hobbs also played a key role in developing what is now known as the 4-H Cloverbuds Program. Cloverbuds, which serves children ages 5–8, was initially called the Oregon Adventures Program.
The program supports children’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning through active, hands-on experiences that promote social, mental, emotional and physical development.
“Our guiding principles came from what we know about the developmental needs of children in that age group,” Hobbs said. “Our 4-H programs for older youth can be competitive, and competitive learning is inappropriate for younger children.
“As we developed curriculum and training for leaders, we always returned to the question: ‘What does the research tell us?’ We didn’t want a program designed for older youth imposed on younger children.”
A career rooted in education
Hobbs grew up in the northeastern United States and was a 4-H member for 10 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and began her career as an elementary school teacher.
In 1993, Hobbs earned a doctorate in education from Oregon State and was soon hired as an OSU Extension 4-H Youth Development specialist. She retired in 2009.
Her awards include the Achievement in Service Award, Distinguished Service Award and Meritorious Service Award from the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals. She and her teams also received the association’s National Diversity Award and Educational Technology Award, as well as honors from the Association for Communication Excellence for video programming and promotional work.
National 4-H Hall of Fame honorees are nominated by their home states, National 4-H Council, the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals, or the Division of Youth and 4-H within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The National 4-H Hall of Fame was established in 2002 as part of the Centennial Project of the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents in partnership with National 4-H Council and National 4-H Headquarters at USDA.
Previously titled Pioneer in Oregon 4-H Latino outreach and Cloverbuds inducted into National 4-H Hall of Fame
