Select Page

How Volunteer Leaders Can Promote 4-H Camp Involvement

1013441_659740687387883_254816366_n[1]One word: Incentives

Youth enjoy 4-H summer camp because it provides a welcoming environment where they can learn and grow.  They get to make new friends and participate in activities like, archery, swimming, canoeing, rocketry, kayaking, arts and crafts, and more.  When they come home from camp singing camp songs and relating their awesome experiences, they encourage their friends at school as well as fellow club members to come with them during the next year. With this in mind, how can club leaders and other volunteers encourage youth to participate in camp if they have never attended or have never considered attending?

At this time of year, camps may already be over for your county 4-H program, but it is never too early to start planning for next summer. As club leaders, when you begin thinking about fundraising and club program planning for the fall, consider incorporating some “camp incentives” for youth who might want to plan to attend camp next year. Here are a few ideas:

  • Include fundraising percentages or credits given to members who participate in and plan club fundraisers.  Maybe 10% of the funds they raise for the club in a particular fundraiser will go to their camp fees, etc.
  • You may offer full or partial scholarships to youth who demonstrate leadership or take on an officer role in a community club setting.
  • Allow 4-H members who turn in a completed and well-produced project book to be rewarded at the awards banquet with a camp price reduction or prize to be used in conjunction with camp attendance such as a club t-shirt or goodie bag with camp related items.

While funding for camp can introduce challenges for some club members, these obstacles when handled appropriately and quickly can provide terrific learning opportunities for youth who earn their way to attend camp and have a wonderful experience while there.

4-H Celebrates Agriculture by Baking Bread for National Bread Month in November

When most of us go to the pantry to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, we don’t think about where the ingredients come from. We all know that peanuts go into the peanut butter and grapes and sugar make the jelly, but what about the bread itself?

There are four main ingredients in any basic bread and its uses and variations are endless. Basic bread recipes usually include flour, water, yeast, sugar.

While working with 4-H youth in a cooking project, why not try to encourage them to make their own variation of plain bread and have some fun?

Some of the many varieties you can bake are: French peasant bread, honey wheat bread and Italian loaf. Click on any of the following links to get great bread-baking tips and recipes to use with kids. Who knows, they may come up with a great variety of their own!

As a volunteer, we encourage youth to develop their own ideas and exert their independence by experimenting within the safety of a 4-H Club environment. Here are some other ideas for extensions of a simple bread-baking activity with youth that incorporate the four essential elements:

Mastery – Have a bread tasting contest and incorporate a skill-a-thon with measurements, tools and ingredients from basic breads to fancy, specialty items.

Gennerosity – Youth can have a Bake-A-Thon or Bake Sale and give all proceeds and products to a local shelter, food bank or food ministry. Students can also make gifts of bread and products that they have made for relatives and other club members.

Belonging – Since all youth like to share their creations, make a collage of pictures of everyone baking and sampling their breads to post to a local website, newspaper or social media page. This is also a great way to raise awareness for local 4-H clubs and their activities.

Independence – Allow 4-Hers to visit a local bakery and ask questions about their business model and how they got started. This allows youth to seejobs and careers related to their interests in the community.

Some other resources are:

http://www.bakingmad.com/kids/getting-kids-interested-in-cooking.

http://www.bakingmad.com/recipes/whitebreads

http://www.perishablenews.com/index.php?article=0018522

http://www.bettycrocker.com/tips/bakewithkids

Risk Management – Protecting Youth AND Volunteers

Julie Pigott Dillard

Everything we do on a daily basis involves a certain amount of risk.  When working with youth, it’s your responsibility as a volunteer to reduce and/or eliminate as much risk as possible.  By taking a pro-active approach to risk management, you’ll identify potential risks of injury and make sure steps are in place to control the situation as much as possible.

Risk can take several forms including physical, reputation, emotional and financial risk.  Taking these four areas into account when planning events and activities will protect not only the youth participant but also adults involved.

Risk reduction is the major focus of a risk management plan, and your plan should be written out. Put safety first in all activities and events with the following tools:

Plan – have an agenda and action plan for the event

  • Anticipate – review the agenda, think and visualize what might present potential problems
  • Prepare – have enough adult help with assigned jobs, have all materials you need
  • Understand – the ages, readiness and willingness of your youth

Review –

Florida 4-H policies or procedures

participation forms

out of county contact forms

event insurance

The ultimate goal is to create a safe environment for youth where they know they are cared for, where they can experience success and where youth can be a positive influence in their world.

Your county 4-H Youth Development Agent is responsible for providing you with training in risk management and will assist you in developing risk management plans for activities and events.  For further information, contact your 4-H Youth Development Agent and visit the volunteer page of florida4h.org.