Publications
Adding Variety to Club Meetings
4-H Volunteer Leaders' Series
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Parent
Information • Plan for Variety
• Skit •
Suggestion Box •
Community Involvement •
Learn by Doing • Committees •
Slide Series •
Videos • Vary All Variables
•
Ways to Increase Interest
Try at least one of these ideas at your first club meeting in the fall or top
these with ideas of your own.
Parent Information
Distribute parent information packets, if you haven't done it already.
• Enrollment cards
• Letter to parents
• Set of definitions -
4-H
Extension agents (name them)
Volunteer leaders
Demonstration
Exhibit
Progress report
Poster
Demonstration
Illustrated talk
Officers (list them)
Club meetings
County 4-H activities
District 4-H activities
State 4-H activities
4-H opportunities (list some big ones)
• Calendar for the year -
Theme for each meeting
Contests and activities for each meeting
Things to bring to each meeting
Out-of-club activities
• An opportunity for parents to say they can help -
with transportation
with checking books
with special refreshments
by teaching special classes as a project leader
Plan for Variety
Provide officers with guidance to vary the program each month. For instance,
on a planning sheet, list learning activities like panels, speakers, contests,
workshops, videos, skits, etc., on one side of the page. Let officers list
important topics (with suggestions from you, of course) on the other side of the
page. Referring to Extension's resources, school resources and personal
contacts, help them match a topic to a learning activity.
Skit
Ask one or more teens to write a short skit, introducing new members to 4-H
at the first meeting. The skit could be handed out a few days before the
meeting; or if it's simple enough, it could just be handed out a few minutes
before the meeting. (See the "Celebration" section for a fact sheet about a new
member initiation ceremony.)
Suggestion Box
Take a suggestion box. Say you'll bring it to every meeting for any
suggestions anyone wants to make. Leave the suggestions with the vice presidents
after each meeting so committees can work on plans for presentation at the next
meeting.
Community Involvement
Involve your 4-H club with all the other clubs and organizations in your
community by taking part in their activities, using individuals from the adult
clubs as resource persons and getting 4-H members opportunities to speak or
perform before these groups. When they see 4-H in action, they will become
excited about 4-H. By involving the community in your plans and programs, you
will gain support for the 4-H program.
Learn by Doing
Remember your purpose. We all learn more by doing than by listening. Take
every chance to involve youngsters in active learning. The more interaction with
the information, the more they learn. Branch out with volunteer help to actually
have short workshops during the meeting where 4-H'ers can make or do something.
Committees
Have lots of busy club committees. Officers and members usually don't have as
many between-club meeting responsibilities as they would like. Committees could
help plan program segments, service projects or even club award ceremonies.
Slide Series
Let a senior in photography develop a slide series on 4-H activities. Camps,
state O-Rama, fairs and individuals working in their 4-H project areas would
make good pictures for the series. Let a senior in public speaking record the
narration for the slide series.
Videos
Order videos and/or slides from Extension Media Services through your County
Extension Office. Check with your county agent for a listing.
Vary All Variables
There's no excuse for monotonous meetings. Divide programs or meetings into
shorter, well-defined segments. Vary the group structure and teaching methods
for each segment when possible.
Ways to Increase Interest
Some suggestions to increase interest of members and at the same time
increase attendance are:
1. Provide a well-planned program.
2. Accomplish something.
3. Provide for group participation.
4. Allow several people to have a part on the program.
5. Socialize - Have fun and fellowship!
6. Run the meeting on a businesslike basis.
7. Eliminate wasted time of the whole group in (a) discussing minor points
and (b) discussing items before adequate information is available. Assign
lengthy subjects to committees for further detailed study and ask them to
make recommendations.
8. Summarize accomplishments.
Developed by Jean Pace, 4-H Volunteer, Fulton County. Revised by Darlene Z.
Baker, State Lader - 4-H Youth Development, University of Arkansas Cooperative
Extension Service.
| Author: |
Darlene Z. Baker, Ph.D., State Leader - 4-H
Youth and Development |
DR. DARLENE Z. BAKER is state leader - 4-H youth development,
Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
4HCH6-PD-10-02RV
|
