With support from the National Advertising Council, Iowa’s 4-H clubs are working on a two-year national public service campaign called “Are You Into It?”

Chuck Morris, associate director of the ISU Extension 4-H Youth Development program, said the National Ad Council is offering free advertising worth $52 million to the campaign.

Morris said the clubs are pleased to work with the council, which creates public service advertising through volunteer advertising agencies for only a select number of issues or organizations each year.

“It’s a wonderful co-op for 4-H,” he said.

Morris said free advertising will strengthen the image of 4-H and attract youths to the program. The commercials, which display young people wearing the 4-H T-shirt, will be shown in newspapers, magazines, billboards and television.

He said the “Are You Into It?” campaign aims to raise young people’s community awareness.

“We’d like to help young people increase their knowledge about their communities … and encourage volunteerism through community services,” Morris said.

The two-year campaign, which began in October, is geared toward reaching 10- to 12-year-old audiences and their parents.

Young people played a major role in designing the program, Morris said. The campaign will include a number of community services, such as cleaning work, helping the elderly and assisting the disabled.

Morris said the participants usually perform the community services in their individual counties.

“If there is a national disaster which needs help in food supply or something else, then they will have more chances to work with the club members in other states,” he said.

The Iowa 4-H Youth Conference, held at Iowa State every June, includes a number of contests hosted by individual colleges in Iowa.

Amy Miller, junior in agricultural business, has joined the program in the past and said the campaign helped build her self-confidence.

Miller also participates in the current program and assists the younger members. She said several students at ISU are part of the team.

More than 35,000 Iowa youths participate in the 4-H clubs. In the past two years, the program reached nearly 112,000 Iowa youths, or one in every five students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Morris said he expects more young people to join the program. “We hope to provide [education] to young people and introduce a new program which is exciting,” he added.

Participants usually work on weekends and after school, Morris said. Anyone can take part in the program by contacting the county extension office for more information.

The National Ad Council, which was established in 1942, is the nation’s largest producer of public service advertising geared toward improving social conditions.