Volunteers
Experience
the Power of 4-H – Volunteer!
Each year, Michigan
4-H Youth Development involves more than 30,000 adult and older
teen volunteers in providing fun, hands-on learning opportunities
to more than 200,000 Michigan young people. 4-H also provides volunteer
training opportunities to foster and support positive youth development.
Just
Five Steps to Becoming a 4-H Volunteer!
- Decide that
you have the time and interest to help kids explore and chart
positive futures.
- Consider
volunteering to lead a 4-H group
in your community, your local school (before or after school),
your church or any other location where there are kids who need
positive, committed adult role models in their lives.
- Contact your
county MSU Extension
office to find out about local opportunities for 4-H involvement.
- Complete
Michigan State University Extension's Child Well-Being Volunteer
Selection Process.
- Share your
skills, knowledge and talents while having fun with kids, and
you’re sure to make a difference in their lives.
Child
Well-Being Volunteer Selection Process
Because Michigan
4-H Youth Development is committed to helping create safe environments
for young people to learn, have fun and develop socially, we work
to ensure that the adults we entrust to work with young people only
have the best interests of youth at heart. The Michigan State University Extension Volunteer Selection Process is a tool we use to
recruit and orient volunteers who will be involved with young people
for long-term, overnight or extended involvement.
NEW: Youth-Adult Housing Policy for 4-H Overnight Events
"Keeping Kids Safe!" — To help ensure the safety and well-being of both youth and adults involved with Michigan 4-H, the "Youth-Adult Housing Policy for Overnight Events" was developed. This mandatory policy which goes into effect on January 1, 2008, applies to any Michigan 4-H sponsored state-. regional, multi-county, county-, or club-level event where adults are housed with youth.
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Getting
Started With Your 4-H Club or Group
Michigan 4-H
youth programs are open to boys and girls aged 5 to 19. Although
4-H provides learning materials, events and training in a variety
of program areas, the opportunities for 4-H involvement are only
restricted by participants’ interests and imaginations. Club
and group leaders are encouraged to survey the young people they
work with to determine what projects, ideas and activities to pursue.
4-H clubs and groups include at least five members. For more information
on specific requirements for registering your 4-H club or group,
visit How to Start a 4-H Club or contact
your county MSU
Extension office.
For ideas on
how to get your first meeting of the year started, take a look at
Starting
the Year Off Right: Tips and Tools for 4-H Volunteers; For
suggestions on how to make your club meetings more fun and help
you create a positive environment for all your members, check Group-Building
Ideas for 4-H Club and Group Meetings.
Online
Resources
Michigan 4-H
Youth Development is committed to making your 4-H volunteer experience
rewarding. Check these online resources to help you plan for and
manage your 4-H club or group year.
You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print PDF files. If you don't already have
the Acrobat Reader, you can download it from the Adobe site at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.
- About
4-H Ceremonies—This 11-page document provides tips
about 4-H ceremonies (such as the answers to when, where, how
and why to have ceremonies). Also included are ceremonies for
the admission and induction of new members, and two different
ceremonies for installing officers (one featuring the use of candles
and the other organized around the "hands theme") (PDF format)
- Age-Appropriate
Learning Experiences
- The 4-H Club Kit contains many useful tools that new volunteers need when they start working with their 4-H club. With the addition of a county leader handbook and a calendar, this kit is a complete set of materials for 4-H volunteers working with clubs and groups. The 4-H Club Kit contains a 10.5" x 12.5" x 2" clear plastic box printed with a green 4-H clover and "Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development" on the front; a wooden gavel; one set of 4-H and U.S. flags; the publication, Keys to a Successful 4-H Club (4-H1605); a folder that contains the handouts: Financial Guidelines for Michigan 4-H Clubs & Groups, Characteristics of Effective 4-H Clubs, Basic Parliamentary Procedure for 4-H Clubs and Additional Resources Available to Support Your 4-H Club. Kits may be ordered using the 4-H Club Kit Order Form.
- Critical
Contemporary Issues Facing Youth
- Financial Guidelines for Michigan 4-H Clubs and Groups
This publication (also included in the 4-H Club Kit) provides guidelines for 4-H clubs on handling funds. Under the federal legislation governing the use of the 4-H name and emblem and in response to the Michigan State University Extension Financial Accountability Policy implemented in 2003, the county MSU Extension office is required to keep track of all transactions pertaining to financial management practices of MSU Extension sponsored groups. (4-H clubs and groups are considered MSUE sponsored groups.) (PDF format)
- Group-Building
Ideas for 4-H Club and Group Meetings provides staff and
volunteers with resources and activities to use, during 4-H club
and group meetings, that will help new clubs get off to an effective
start and help existing clubs improve their vitality. (PDF format)
- The
Guide to Michigan 4-H Youth Development Programs and Events
provides a complete listing of Web, print, audio and video learning
materials offered for staff members and volunteers who work with
young people.
- Keys to a Successful 4-H Club (4H1605)
This bulletin (also included in the 4-H Club Kit) provides 4-H club leaders with helpful background information on Michigan 4-H and 4-H members (age groups, stages of child and youth development); tips for behavior management; designing age-appropriate learning experiences; planning the 4-H club year. (PDF format)
- The Member's Personal 4-H Record (4H1192)
This bulletin is designed to cover one year of a young person’s
4-H career. Members can use it to list what they want
to do or learn in a project area at the beginning of the 4-H year,
the activities in which they participate over the course of the
year, and what they’ve learned from their 4-H experiences at
the end of the project year. (PDF format)
- Michigan 4-H Club Development Guide provides staff and
volunteers with a framework for developing a club program that
best meets the needs of their communities. (PDF format)
- The Michigan 4-H Club Secretary's Record Book (4H1230)
This bulletin details the role and responsibilities of Michigan 4-H
club and group secretaries. Included are definitions,
tools and expectations; information club secretaries
need to perform responsibilities
and keep accurate records; information for parents and volunteers on how to help guide club and group secretaries in their role. (PDF format)
- Michigan
4-H Guiding Principles for 4-H Youth Development document.
(PDF format)
- The Michigan 4-H Mall (a partnership between Michigan 4-H and the National 4-H Supply Service) offers a multitude of items with the 4-H emblem like pens, pencils, coffee mugs, T-shirts, 4-H curriculum, award pins and plaques among many other items. (The 4-H merchandise available online is the same as offered in the 4-H Source Book catalog.) The 4-H Fair Share Program will return 10% of all merchandise ordered on the Web to Michigan 4-H. To ensure that your order is counted towards the Fair Share total, go first to www.4hmall.org/michigan whenever placing an order. Orders placed by phone or mail do not count toward Michigan's 4-H Fair Share total. For more information, including promotional ads and graphics for 4-H Fair Share, visit http://www.mi4hfdtn.org/county/mi4hmall.html .
- The
Michigan 4-H Pins and Stickers document features pictures
of 4-H pins and stickers that can be used used as promotional
items or to exchange at 4-H conferences. Also included is an order
form to purchase these items. (PDF format)
- Michigan
4-H Today—A newsletter providing youth development
news and event information for the Michigan 4-H community. Issues
include a tabloid-size publication (Michigan 4-H Today)
published every fall and four topical newsletter supplements (Michigan
4-H Today In Focus) that are distributed as inserts in county
newsletters throughout the year. Current issues are available
as Adobe Acrobat documents.
- Michigan
4-H Treasurer’s Record Book (4-H 1203)—Monetary
records for 4-H groups should be entered in this book, which includes
descriptions of the treasurer’s duties, how to write checks
and manage a checking account, and how to report and audit accounts.
It includes sections on financial guidelines for Michigan 4-H
groups and Michigan sales tax facts. A blank “Application
for Employer Identification Number” (IRS form SS-4) also
is included. (PDF format; 36 pages plus cover; Michigan 4-H complete revision
2004, last updated June 2007)
- Michigan
4-H Recognition Handbook—This 20-page Michigan 4-H
publication includes ideas and tools for recognizing volunteers. (PDF format)
- Michigan
4-H Youth Development 2003-04 Impact document provides
participation and impact data on Michigan 4-H youth development
programs. (PDF format)
- Michigan 4-H Youth Participant Fee Information. Beginning with the 2006-7 4-H program year, youth participants in 4-H clubs will help support the development, purchase, implementation and/or updating of 4-H programming through an annual $10 participation fee. The materials on this Web page provide more information about the new fee.
- My 4-H Volunteer Training Needs: A Survey for Michigan 4-H Teen and Adult Volunteers July 2007 online survey results
- Starting
the Year Off Right—Tips and Tools for 4-H Volunteers
Where
to Find Learning Resources for Volunteers and Youth
Michigan 4-H
Youth Development offers a wide variety of projects and learning
opportunities for young people and the adults and older teens who
work with them. Although in Michigan, young people involved in 4-H
can explore any area that interests them, there are specific projects
and activities supported with university-developed learning materials and training
opportunities at the county and state levels.
MSU
Extension County Offices
Michigan State
University Extension is located in all 83 counties in Michigan.
Each county has 4-H youth development staff to help you volunteer
with an existing 4-H club or group or start a new one. Your county
MSU Extension office also serves as a valuable source for information
on learning materials, training and local opportunities for 4-H
involvement.
State
4-H Volunteer Training Events
A complete listing
with brief descriptions of the annual state
4-H volunteer training events is available. These events range
in focus from developmental stages of young people to content-specific
information. Most 4-H volunteer training events take place at the
state’s primary 4-H leader training facility, Kettunen
Center. Kettunen Center is located in Tustin, just east of Cadillac.
Events are also held on the Michigan State University campus in
East Lansing, at Tollgate Education Center in Novi, just west of
Detroit, and at the Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners,
near Battle Creek.
View the online survey results of the July 2007 "My 4-H Volunteer Training Needs: A Survey for Michigan 4-H Teen and Adult Volunteers".
4-H
Youth Development Training and Events
Each year, Michigan
4-H Youth Development attract more than 8500 youth and volunteers
to state and regional training
and youth development events. Recruiting, training and supporting
4-H volunteers is an important component in delivering high-quality
youth development programs in Michigan. 4-H also serves as a resource
for other youth-serving organizations seeking training and development
opportunities for volunteers and staff who work with young people.
4-H also hosts several youth development events that expand the
experiences and skills of young people.
Contact
Information
For more information on
how to get involved as a youth
or volunteer,
contact your county MSU Extension
office or:
Volunteer Development:
Julie Chapin,
Ph.D.,
Program Leader
4-H Youth Development
Michigan State University
160 Agriculture Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
USA
Phone: 517-432-7608
Fax: 517-355-6748
Email: chapin@msu.edu
Club Development:
Cynthia B. Mark, Ph.D., Program Leader (Club Development)
4-H Youth Development
Michigan State University
160 Agriculture Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
USA
Phone: 517-432-7602
Fax: 517-355-6748
Email: markc@msu.edu
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Copyright
© 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Michigan State University
Last Updated: September 25, 2007
Last Reviewed: January 26, 2007
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Guide
to Michigan 4-H
