• by Aaron Baar , February 10, 2011

Given our current, technologically focused times, the National 4H Council -- the private, non-profit partner of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its National Institute for Food Agriculture -- is looking to dispel the notion that it is out of step with the world and today's youth.

Via a massive PSA campaign that includes video, print, online and social elements, the Washington, D.C.-based organization is looking to demonstrate how its 6 million youth members give back to their communities.

"The 4H is in just about every community in the nation," says Noel Ritter, associated creative director at Big River Advertising, the Richmond, Va. agency that created the campaign. "There are thousands and thousands of stories. One story by itself may not seem surprising, but once you see it's a whole community of kids in this giant organization, then you realize it's a whole revolution."

So much so that the campaign carries the theme "Revolution of Responsibility," and showcases the uncommon commitment its youth members have in improving their communities.

A key component of the effort is an online video that tells the stories of members using geographical tracking and computers to combat obesity in their community by making it easier to find healthy food. It also tells the story of a group from Oregon helping low-income people improve their lives through technology and a girl from Ohio who used winnings from her prize hogs to buy a house.

The effort has several, multifaceted goals. The first is to get members from all over the country communicating with each other. Big River created a video that essentially teaches members how to create and upload their own stories to a dedicated microsite, Ritter says.

"We've just scratched the surface with these kids and their stories," Ritter says. "By posting a few, we're hoping to smoke out a few others and start the whole conversation."

A secondary goal of the campaign is to change the image of 4H among the general population. Because of its roots as a USDA program, the knee-jerk belief of most people is that it's primarily an agricultural organization. (In fact, some of the members from Portland, Ore. didn't even know there was an agricultural arm of the 4H program, Ritter says.) By changing this perception, the videos can also help with fundraising, he says.