Richardson County 4-H Clubs
A 4-H Club is an organized group of at least five youth from three different families, who meet regularly with adult volunteers or 4-H staff for a long-term, progressive series of educational experiences. The purpose of a 4-H club is to provide positive youth development and foster educational opportunities to meet the needs of young people.
Club membership is open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 18, as of December 31 of the prior year. To be a part of a club, members are required to officially enroll in 4-H. 4-H clubs conduct regular meetings at various location. Members participate in service learning projects, give presentations, serve as club officers, and complete educational projects.
CURRENT RICHARDSON COUNTY 4-H CLUBS
4-H Club Requirements
PURPOSE OF A 4-H CLUB
The purpose of a 4-H Club is to provide positive youth development opportunities to meet the needs of young people to experience belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity - the Essential Elements - and to foster educational opportunities tied to the Land Grant University knowledge base.
STRUCTURE OF A 4-H CLUB
- Enroll at least five youth members from at least three families.
- Is advised by adult 4-H staff or volunteers who have been screened and trained in accordance with the Nebraska 4-H Policy and Procedure Handbook.
- Conduct a minimum of six regular club meetings (virtual or face-to-face) per year, with many holding 9-12 regular meetings throughout most or all of the year, and often supplemented by project meetings, camps, fairs, and other 4-H learning activities.
- Selects youth officers or youth leaders to provide leadership to the club.
- Meets in any location - a home, community center, military installation, library, public hosing site, school, afterschool program, and/or other places.
- Helps youth and parents/guardians adapt in cases of mobility - linking them to 4-H programs in other counties and states.
- Meets interests and needs of youth in same-age or cross-age groupings and using single project or multiple project formats.
4-H CLUB QUALITY STANDARDS
- Club meetings are held at least six times a year.
- Club officers are elected.
- 75% of club members complete a 4-H project each year.
- New leaders attend new leader orientation.
- Club planning is done by club members and meetings are run by club officers.
- Sequential and varied learning experience matching all skill levels of club members is provided.
- Each member of the club does an in-club demonstration or presentation every year.
- Club financial audits must be submitted to the Extension Office at the end of each year.
- Yearly service learning projects/community service projects are completed.
CLUB OF EXCELLENCE CRITERIA
To receive the designation as a Nebraska 4-H Club of Excellence, clubs must:
- Have at least five members from at least three different families.
- Recite the 4-H Pledge at meetings.
- Meet at least six times per year.
- Choose/elect youth officers.
- Have youth serve in leadership roles.
- Have one club project, related to curriculum, which they do together.
- Have adult role model involvement.
- Be facilitated by organizational and project leaders who have successfully completed the volunteer screening.
- Have members who perform a presentation or public speaking at the club level or above.
- Complete one community service project.
- Have members who participate in county, district, or state events.
- Celebrate member and club achievements.
If the club meets all the requirements, they will get a certificate and a seal the first year and an additional seal in subsequent qualifying years.
4-H CLUB BEST PRACTICES
- Use experiential learning - learning by doing - as a primary teaching approach.
- Shows evidence of fostering the Essential Elements of 4-H Youth Development.
- Includes planned opportunities to learn and apply life skills such as leadership, citizenship, community service and public speaking.
- Provides experiences to develop in-depth knowledge about science, engineering and technology; leadership and citizenship; healthy living; agriculture literacy; and college and career readiness.
- Provides programs, curricula, and procedures that are based in research and are developmentally appropriate.
- Provides participants and volunteers access to resources of land-grant universities and to county, state, and national 4-H opportunities.
- Fosters youth-adult partnerships that encourage active involvement and participation by youth and adults.
- Provides safe and healthy physical and emotional environments.
- Offers projects in a wide range of subject matter areas relevant to the Land Grant University knowledge base to meet youth needs and interests.