by Whitney Cherry | May 31, 2013
Volunteering in the Panhandle is a publication for 4-H volunteers and is provided by 4-H Extension Agents in Northwest Florida.
The team of 4-H Extension Agents in the Northwest District of Florida are very excited to be launching our Volunteering in the Panhandle Facebook page and Twitter feed. Please like us, follow us, or check in every so often. We will still be publishing the newsletter on our website, and we will of course, continue to send out e-mail messages via the subscription management system when we post something new, so if you don’t use Facebook or Twitter, there is no reason to worry. You will still be in the loop!
Add our website to your favorites: https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/newsletters/category/volunteering-in-the-panhandle/
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by vmullins | Apr 26, 2013
Teens learn valuable life skills through volunteering with 4-H.
Summer – no school, lots of time – what’s a teen 4-Her going to do? Many teens will be searching for jobs. Some will be looking for summer employment to pay for 4-H events, or earn extra spending money, or save for a car, clothes or college. But will they find a job? Some won’t. If they can’t get a job, encourage them to volunteer!
The current job market is dismal. Pick up any newspaper, turn on any news program or just listen to the people around you. It’s hard to get a job! The job employment rate for American teens is at an all-time low.
Teens that are fortunate enough to obtain a summer job are also handed a mixed blessing. The job may prevent them from participating in summer vacations and activities with family and friends. The cost of working: taxes, transportation, clothing or uniforms, meals etc. may leave little in net income. And 4-Hers who have jobs often have to forego summer 4-H events . So how do we help teens make the best of their summer and also help prepare them to enter the workforce?
The skills and knowledge that a teen could gain through a “paid” job can also be gained through volunteering. There are many benefits of volunteering instead of working in the summer including:
- Volunteering provides more flexible scheduling allowing teens to participate in 4-H and other summer activities.
- Volunteering provides opportunities for teens to serve as teen leaders, peer educators and role models to younger 4-Hers and other youth. This also allows teens to utilize their 4-H project skills and knowledge and enhances their 4-H portfolio and resume.
- Volunteering provides teens opportunities to investigate different career fields and future jobs in places that they are allowed to volunteer but where they could not be employed, because of personnel policies or their age, lack of knowledge, skills or experience.
- Many college degree fields have a “volunteer or work” hours of experience requirement that must be met before an applicant can be admitted to the degree program.
- Volunteer hours of service are often a criteria for awarding scholarships.
- Supervisors of volunteers make excellent references and volunteer work can usually be counted as job experience even though it is “unpaid.”
- Volunteering offers teens opportunities to network with others. Remember the old adage “it’s not what you know, but who you know” is still true in many instances.
However for the Volunteer experience to be beneficial, teens must treat the volunteer job with the same respect as a “real” job. They must be willing to learn and exhibit life skills and good work ethics including:
- Punctuality, dependability and dedication
- Honesty, integrity and confidentially
- Initiative and self-motivation
- Teamwork and loyalty
- Communication skills
- Willingness to accept criticism and desire to improve
So for teens that can’t find or don’t want to work this summer, remember volunteering offers many benefits.
by Niki Crawson | Mar 29, 2013
Spring and summer seasons can seem like a busier time than normal for 4-H volunteers. Between 4-H/Tropicana, shooting sports matches, volunteer trainings and upcoming summer day camps, 4-H becomes a world of its own with wonderful youth development opportunities to teach needed life skills to our youth. However, with the busy season approaching, concern of the dreaded VOLUNTEER BURNOUT is real. It typically rears its ugly head starting in April and really takes a hold by June. By July, it has claimed more volunteer victims than we like to admit. It is dark, ugly, and heavy. It preys on the unsuspecting, the tired, the unselfish.
Do you feel the burn?
What causes volunteer burnout, and how does one recognize it before it attacks? Volunteer burnout can be a result of one or more factors such as over commitment, lack of sufficient breaks and rest, excessive responsibilities, an inability to say “no” and so on. Volunteer burnout will typically prey on the loyal, unselfish, dedicated volunteer who wants to make a difference but may do so too much, too fast, and/or too often. The only way to avoid volunteer burnout is to…take time for YOU.
“Wait, what? Take time for myself? But what about the youth I am positively impacting through 4-H?” you may ask. Well, the old saying “you cannot help others if you are not taking care of yourself first” applies here. In order for this to occur, you have to tend to yourself and have a healthy balance established between your needs, your family, work, etc.
If you are concerned that you are starting to feel the effects of volunteer burnout, talk to your 4-H Agent immediately. Find out what can be done to help you ease the burden you are feeling. Sometimes, it is a simple solution of talking through your concerns and frustrations regarding your schedule and setting priorities and new boundaries. Other times it may mean getting more sleep, exercise, or starting a hobby that relaxes you. Then again, sometimes it may require that more drastic measures be implemented such as giving up a task, learning to say “no” more often or even taking a few weeks off from your volunteer duties to tend to your own needs by enjoying the beautiful weather and working in your garden.
So, before you let the nasty volunteer burnout monster bite and send you running from the wonderful 4-H program you are involved in, we urge you to maintain a healthy balance between dedicated and delirious. Take time for yourself. Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. Spend quality time with family and friends. Enjoy the spring days. Visit the UF IFAS EDIS website (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/) for fantastic gardening tips. Remember that you have the 4-H family in your corner supporting you 100% in your need for a little “you” time!
by jgl1 | Mar 1, 2013
“Our 4-H volunteers strive to provide a positive learning experience for all youth, reassuring parents that their children are in safe and nurturing environments, but what do you do when you recognize child abuse? How do you deal with it?”
As members of a youth serving organization it is important that adults are aware of their responsibility for child safety. Our hope is that all children will live in a safe environment, but we know that children are exposed to neglect and abuse. We have a responsibility to educate ourselves and the children with whom we work about the risks to the welfare of a child. It is mandated by law as a volunteer with the Florida Cooperative Extension Service that you must report suspected child abuse cases to your Florida Department of Children and Families. (more…)
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 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!
