Did you know that you can extend your 4-H experience through your college years? If you plan on attending college consider joining Collegiate 4-H. Collegiate 4-H is an organization that provides its members with a sense of identity on campus, enriches their lives through group projects and recreation, and develops confidence and leadership skills. At the University of Florida, Collegiate 4-H provides service and support to Alachua County 4-H and the Florida 4-H State Programs. Collegiate 4-H is not only a professional organization, but also a service and social organization. Some of the ways they support 4-H include serving as judges, mentors, and volunteers. Recently, the executive officers of the UF Collegiate 4-H supported our district-wide Teen Retreat. Last year, the Collegiate 4-H chapter at UF hosted the National Collegiate 4-H Conference in Gainesville, FL. Earlier this spring, they were invited to attend and present at the National STEM Conference in Washington, DC. Being a Collegiate 4-H member can open lots of doors for scholarships, awards, internship opportunities, and careers. It also helps you connect with other young people who are passionate about 4-H Positive Youth Development and who want to continue to make a difference in their “club, community, country, and world.”
Membership
Collegiate 4-H is open to all college students who wish to support youth and the 4-H program. It is not necessary to have prior 4-H experience, only to have an interest in the 4-H ideals and in serving your community. Prior membership in the 4-H organization is not required. If there is not a Collegiate 4-H Chapter at your local college or university, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office to inquire about securing a faculty advisor.
Questions?
To find out more about the Collegiate 4-H Program at the University of Florida, contact Joshua Clay Hurdle, UF Collegiate 4-H President jchurdle@ufl.edu
To find out more about Collegiate 4-H in general, visit http://www.collegiate4h.org/ or contact Dr. Kate Fogarty, Ph.D. Youth Development Specialist, Florida 4-H kfogarty@ufl.edu
4-H Agent Misty Smith trains staff at Eglin air force base.
Did you know that 4-H and the military have a partnership to help support military youth? Most people don’t know that there is a strong partnership between 4-H and all branches of the military to include the National Guard, and Reserves. 4-H clubs have been established on nearly every Army, Navy, and Air Force installation worldwide, while 4-H clubs in communities provide support to military youth living off base installations.
4-H clubs provide consistency and belonging, and an opportunity to develop life skills through a positive youth development framework. As a parent’s military role causes frequent moves, 4-H clubs provide familiarity and stability throughout the military child’s life. Military youth can find 4-H in every county in the U.S. and on overseas installations, making new transitions easier because they can continue on with their 4-H work. Research shows 4-H youth excel beyond their peers: 4-H youth are more likely to be civically active, make contributions to their communities, participate in science programs during out-of-school time, and make healthier choices. (Tufts University, 2012)
Military youth involved in 4-H are also able to participate in local, state, and national events and may qualify for military scholarships to help offset the cost of these events. Every year, 4-H’ers have the opportunity to participate in overnight camp in the Panhandle of Florida. One camp that is offered at Camp Timpoochee, located in Niceville, is Camp Corral. Camp Corral is an amazing week of non-stop fun and excitement in the great outdoors for children (ages 8 to 15) of our military heroes. It’s for the children of brave soldiers who have been injured or fallen protecting our freedom, our way of life.
Read more about our military programs in last year’s military volunteer post, 4-H Military Volunteers Hit the Bull’s-eye. Parents and youth can get more information on the 4-H Military Partnership by contacting their school age program located on any military installation, visit http://florida4h.org, or contact your local UF IFAS County Extension Office.
Today is our final post for this year’s National Volunteer Week Celebration. We’ve heard from several different types of volunteers- project club leaders, school volunteers, gardening volunteers and SPIN club volunteers. Today we will hear from Mrs. Linda Jones, a Gadsden County 4-H Community Club Volunteer. After retiring from a career of teaching, Mrs. Jones stopped by her local county extension office to ask some questions about her small farm. During her visit, the former county extension director, Dr. Henry Grant, told her about the 4-H program and asked if she would like to get involved as a volunteer. Mrs. Jones was sold! Since then, her club has been involved in multiple service projects that support local community members such as Second Harvest Food Bank and Relay for Life. Her club also participates in the North Florida Fair. In addition to being a community club leader, Mrs. Jones is also a certified overnight chaperone and chaperones youth every summer at 4-H Camp Cherry Lake. When asked what she enjoys most about her volunteer role with 4-H, Mrs. Jones shared:
“I taught school for 30 years, so I have a love of learning. I love that 4-H has so many different curricula and that almost everything in 4-H is a learning opportunity. I am just a kid at heart, and 4-H is a playground for learning.”
Mrs. Jones shared that another thing she appreciates about 4-H is their focus on safety. Paperwork and safety trainings are not her favorite aspect of 4-H, but Mrs. Jones admits that she sees the value in it and appreciates the protection it provides to both her and the kids in her club. “As a teacher, I am more focused on the learning part, but 4-H has trained me to keep safety a priority. For example, I wanted to take the kids horseback riding, and my agent pointed out that for 4-H activities, youth must wear a helmet while riding horses. I wouldn’t have thought of that on my own, but 4-H has my back. The legal ramifications can be challenging, but as a mother and grandmother, I see the value.”
In addition to being a community club leader, Mrs. Jones is also a certified overnight chaperone and chaperones youth every summer at 4-H Camp Cherry Lake. For years, she has taken her grandchildren to camp, who have acted reluctant to go. Recently, she learned that her grandkids may need to move for her daughter’s new job. She was shocked to learn that their first reaction to the news was dismay that they would have to miss Camp Cherry Lake! Mrs. Jones chaperoned 4-H University for the first time this past year, and she recalls a favorite memory of this 1st time experience. “Two of the youth that I took to 4-H University were graduating seniors and would soon be leaving for college. One of the most important things they took away from that experience was a real feeling of independence. One of the youth shared that having her own dorm room key made her feel grown up and mature. That is not what I would have expected, and it seems like a simple thing, but it is important.”
If you are thinking about becoming a community club volunteer, Mrs. Jones offers a word of advice, “Don’t get discouraged by the rules, regulations and policies- they will become your best friend and are in place to protect both you and the young people you are impacting.” If you would like to make a difference in your community the way that Mrs. Jones has, think about sharing your talents with us! You can fuel the extraordinary efforts of our youth by joining us as a volunteer. To find out more, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org/volunteers. Happy National Volunteer Appreciation Week- we hope you have enjoyed this year’s series with a peek inside some of the roles our volunteers serve!
Our volunteers help make clubs, camps, and other educational programs possible so that we can Grow 4-H in Florida! Photo credit: National 4-H Council
Sunday, April 10th, marks the beginning of National Volunteer Week. A recent study found that volunteers are directly responsible for teaching as much as 50% of the life skills a youth learns through the 4-H program (Fogarty et al). Volunteers are essential to the delivery of the 4-H program, and starting on Sunday, we want to share some of their stories with you.
Our volunteers come to us with a variety of expertise. Some volunteer a little, some volunteer a lot, but every single oneof them makes a difference. And they all have one thing in common: to ignite that spark in the next generation by sharing their passion, knowledge and skills. 4-H is delivered in several different ways; our most traditional way is through community clubs. We also have clubs that are centered around a particular project or subject such as robotics, fishing, sewing, etc. Some clubs event meet during or after school. There are also short-term programs that are delivered through the schools such as embryology,4-H/Tropicana Public Speaking, gardening, and agricultural awareness. Another popular way we deliver 4-H is through our residential and day camping programs. 4-H volunteers help make all of this possible under the leadership and direction of their local 4-H Extension Agent.
Each day, we will highlight a different type of 4-H volunteer to give you an overview of the different roles our volunteers serve. We hope this series will not only inspire you, but create more awareness of our volunteer programs. Most importantly, we want to recognize the wonderful contributions that each of these volunteers is making. If you are not already a volunteer, think about sharing your talents with us! You can fuel the extraordinary efforts of our youth by joining us as a volunteer. To find out more, contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org/volunteers. Happy National Volunteer Appreciation Week- we hope you will enjoy our series as much as we enjoy working with our incredible volunteers!
Florida 4-H offers hundreds of events and activities to support 4-H clubs and members. 4-H events are specialized programs designed and conducted to SUPPORT a 4-H members projects at the club, county, district, state, and national levels. Events and activities are typically tied to a project (or curriculum) area and help the youth develop and demonstrate mastery; one of four essential elements that must be present in a young person’s life in order for positive youth development to occur. Last month, Tracey Tesdall and Travis Shepard shared resources and tips for navigating Florida 4-H Events and activities to help parents and volunteers guide their 4-H members. You can watch the 45-minute presentation online, but here are some key points and pieces of information that they covered:
General 4-H Policies on membership and participation can be found online. Note that the 4-H Age policy did change this year on September 1st. Rules related to specific contests and competitive events can be found on the events page.
Overnight Events Policy- 4-H Members “real age” 19 have elevated risks associated with their attendance as a participant. Members “real age” 19 will not be housed with youth age 18 or younger. Otherwise members are housed within 2 years of age. Members who are real age 18+ are considered an “adult” in all illegal activities and conflicts.General Tips and Reminders:
State Level Competitive Event Rules– Youth must be enrolled in 4-H at least 30 days prior to the events and they much have completed at least one year of 4-H work including the current year, as established by the 4-H Agent. 4-Hers on a state level winning team may not compete as FFA members the next year or vice-versa.
Cancellation policy– Participants who register for an event and cancel before registration closes will receive a full reimbursement of any associated fees. Once registration has closed, no refunds will be awarded unless a documented medical emergency or natural disaster inhibits a participant from attending.
General Tips and Reminders:
Pay close attention to state event deadlines
Payment should always come from your county, unless otherwise specified (contact your local 4-H Office to be sure!)
Make sure that your participation form is updated and current before an event (in case of an emergency). This applies to both youth and adult chaperones and volunteers. Forms can be updated electronically in 4HOnline or you can print and complete a paper participation form.
Make sure you are familiar with event schedules, directions, dress codes, and what to pack (if overnight). Your local 4-H Office is a great resource. State-level event information can be found online and is updated often.
We hope that this information will help you and your 4-Hers plan a successful project this year in 4-H. If you have any questions, please contact your local UF IFAS Extension Office, or view the Make a Difference Monday presentation. On November 16th, join us at 7PM Eastern/6PM Central to learn about Mastering 4-H Project Records, Portfolios and Awards. For more information about Make a Difference Monday, our online volunteer training series, visit our website at http://florida4h.org/madmondays.
