Chris Coons is a Democrat representing Delaware in the U.S. Senate.
It’s hard to escape the idea that our nation’s young people are in crisis. Newspapers and magazines are full of stories about how young people are lonely and disconnected, leaving adults wondering what the future holds for them — and for us.
At this year’s Delaware State Fair, I met dozens of young Delawareans who challenged that idea. They were engaged, responsible and part of a big, statewide community.
Who were they? They were all National FFA Organization and 4-H members. The solution to the “loneliness epidemic” may lie in the same clubs and organizations that have been providing kids with the kind of connection we all need for decades.
While 4-H and FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America) both began as farming organizations, they’ve grown far larger, providing opportunities and leadership training for students covering a variety of careers and interests. For 4-H, programming begins as young as 5, and kids in Delaware can join FFA as early as middle school.
We have 5,000 FFA members and 36,000 kids in 4-H programs — roughly 1 out of every 5 kids in our state. It’s not only in rural areas. I met students from New Castle, Middletown and Clayton who were incredibly involved.
So, how are these programs motivating a generation that is supposedly too attached to their phones to care about anything else?
Young people crave the same two things people always have: community and purpose. They are the keys to combating loneliness, to putting down the phones, fighting substance abuse and crime, and even becoming future leaders.
These organizations provide both.
They give young people a place to belong — a place where they can form friendships and a fellowship that often lasts for lifetimes. As Delaware FFA president Kayla Parks described it, “friendships that feel like family.”
That’s possible because of educators and adult volunteers who give hours and hours of their time before and after school, plus during the summer. Many were in these programs themselves and have been supporting them for decades. They, alongside parents, become a vital part of this community, too.
These programs don’t just say, “Here’s what you must do to be successful in life.” Instead, they ask, “What do you care about learning?”
Then, those teachers, advisers and parents help students come up with projects and find the parts of the organizations that speak to their interests and give them purpose. Students spend months on their projects. They aren’t always what you might expect. The ones I saw at the fair were stunningly varied, from photography to landscaping to plumbing. 4-H’s largest entry category this year was in electronics and robotics.
When young people have the motivation of a project that excites them, it’s easier to learn how to work in groups, lead, be responsible, speak in front of crowds, work hard and use cutting-edge technology. I saw it for myself at the Delaware FFA Fair Breakfast: FFA leadership had organized the entire event, from the programming to giving speeches to coordinating the food and contests. These are all skills any employer would want. They’re also the skills needed to start a small business, and they are the skills artificial intelligence can’t replace.
All of this gives young people something to create that matters to them and is useful for their futures — and it shows them the kind of difference they can make.
One of my goals in the Senate has always been to support these opportunities. So, I wrote the Youth Lead Act with Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana. It would invest millions of dollars of additional funding into youth agriculture and service organizations, like FFA and 4-H.
In Delaware, our FFA chapters are part of our larger career-technical education programs. I will keep fighting for federal funding for those programs because our students deserve these kinds of opportunities. They are the exact types of community organizations we should be building up: locally driven with proven records of success.
They bring young people together to help their neighbors by using their unique innovations and creativity. That’s the spirit that has made us the greatest nation on Earth for 250 years and what will guide us for our next 250 years. Having met these kids at this year’s state fair, I know our future is in good hands.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
