by Whitney Cherry | Feb 21, 2013
It is important to ensure that our programs are open to everyone.
Federal affirmative action guidelines require that a 4-H club’s membership reflect that of the community which it serves. So, if your club serves the whole county, and your county is 54% white 36% black, 6% Hispanic, and 3% other, then your club membership should be 54% white 36% black, 6% Hispanic, and 3% other. However, this is not always the case. In such instances we use All Reasonable Efforts (ARE) to show that we are making our clubs available to everyone. (more…)
by Yolanda Goode | Feb 18, 2013
4-H’ers celebrating a National Day of Service in January.
February has long been associated with heart related events. Of course, there is Valentine’s Day, a day of love. Additionally, the full month is devoted to a focus on heart health. Continuing on this heart related theme, I want to focus on generosity. Generosity is one of the four essential elements for youth development. It is valuing others and serving them. Sincere generosity involves the heart and is usually demonstrated with the use of the hands. Incidentally, these are two of the four H’s of the 4-H Youth Development program.
As 4-H volunteers we strive to teach youth to be generous. Service is a good way for youth to learn generosity. By providing opportunities to connect with their communities through service, we help youth develop generosity and find meaning and value in their lives. This can be accomplished by helping youth realize the full impact of their efforts.
Often, through asking questions we can help youth see the big picture. Asking questions can cause them to see what is beyond the immediate actions of service such as getting out of bed early and giving up some time to rake leaves. Helping them see it’s more than just logging service hours for school, awards or scholarships may help them get to the heart of the service they’ve performed.
Questions you may ask prior to the event to help youth recognize the service they are performing are: What do you expect to happen at the site? How do you think the people will feel about us helping them today? Why do you think this is a need? Post event questions can be just as thought provoking. Some examples are: What would have happened if no one had come out to do what we did today? What did you learn about yourself today? How did serving make you feel? What else can we do to serve others in our community?
Don’t limit yourself to these questions though, these are just some ideas. The whole idea is to generate conversation and give youth those “aha” moments and help them see the difference they can make through practicing generosity. (You too may experience a few “aha” moments as well!)
Contact your local 4-H agent for more information on the Four Essential Elements of Positive Youth Development.
by Haley Worley | Feb 1, 2013
Pictured Above- Terry S., Okaloosa County 4-H Association President, and Morgan S., Senior Horseman of the Year Award Winner.
Recognition is a very important part of life! People of all ages thrive on recognition of any kind. It makes them feel good about themselves and helps build self esteem. This doesn’t mean that every time someone does something GREAT that we throw a party and give them something. Recognition can be something as simple as saying, “Great Job today on your presentation. I could tell that topic meant a lot to you, and I really enjoyed it.” It can absolutely make someone’s day to here that they did a fantastic job.
Recognition is a big part of 4-H. We recognize 4-H’ers for showing exceptional character, completing projects, and participation in events and competitions. By recognizing one person, we are not putting others down. We simply mean to pump everyone up so that they feel successful in what they have done. It is very important to build kids up when they are young, so that they feel as if they can conquer the world. To be honest, if they set their minds to it, they can conquer the world! Florida 4-H is a program where kids can experience things they would normally never do, find new hobbies, make new friends, and gain self confidence. We are here to help them realize that the sky is not the limit but that they can go so far above and beyond, and with a little extrinsic motivation, or recognition, they can reach their most exceptional dreams!
