Publications
Guiding 4-H Record Keeping
4-H Volunteer Leaders Series
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Your Role
Your Reward
Your Responsibilities
Training Meeting
Help for You - The Leader
Support Persons
As a records leader, you have the opportunity to help young
people develop the important life skill of keeping accurate records.
The most important qualities you can bring to your job as the
4-H records leader are:
A positive attitude toward record keeping,
A belief in the value of record keeping to young people,
The ability to relate to both youth and adults and
An understanding that leadership can be fulfilling for both
adults and youth.
Your leadership is important to the success of the 4-H program.
4-H'ers need relationships with adults who are interested in them and their need
to grow and develop. Record keeping can meet this need and provide other
benefits such as:
4-H'ers learn to communicate in writing.
4-H'ers learn to organize thoughts.
4-H'ers learn to make short- and long-term plans.
Provides a record of the growth of 4-H'ers from year to
year.
Most importantly, you will have the opportunity through record
keeping to leave a 4-H'er with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
State, district and county record book winners are not the only
reward in working with 4-H'ers in record keeping. While this aspect is exciting,
it will be even more fulfilling to see the progress 4-H'ers have made and the
life skills they have developed. In addition, you will grow in knowledge and as
a person through helping others.
Knowledge of 4-H Record Keeping Process - Your 4-H club
will be looking to you as their "expert" in record keeping. You may have
obtained your knowledge of the 4-H record keeping process through experience or
acquired it through study and observation. Contact your county Extension office
for publications on 4-H record keeping in Arkansas. If your county has a person
in the role of records coordinator, they will be available to conduct training
on a county level for you and other records leaders.
Training - 4-H'ers and their parents often shy away from
record keeping because they do not understand what is required. By conducting
training meetings for 4-H'ers, parents and project leaders in your club, you
will be able to explain record keeping and answer their questions. Training may
be conducted in any form you feel will be most helpful. Individual sessions,
group meetings or telephone conferences can all be very effective. It will be
important to know the level of experience each 4-H'er has in record keeping
before planning your training.
4-H Club Program - Record keeping is an integral part of
the total 4-H program. A planning session with all leadership team members can
be productive in making this a reality for your local 4-H program. Spend time
with each leader discussing ways they can incorporate record keeping. For
example, project leaders have many opportunities to encourage 4-H'ers to keep
project records as well as give them examples and review their records. Team
members will be more willing to stress record keeping if they are familiar with
the process themselves. As a team, you may wish to set goals for your group to
work toward. These may be short-term goals, such as having two special meetings
during the year on records, or long-term goals, such as having every member of
the group submit a record book for county judging at the end of two years.
Plan carefully your 4-H record keeping training sessions. The
impressions received at these sessions may prove to be lasting ones. Before any
training is conducted, make a detailed study of the record keeping situation in
your club. This can be done by talking to other leadership team members, by
reviewing members' record books and by visiting with 4-H'ers and their parents.
Younger members will need special assistance in record keeping.
Plan training for this age group that allows them opportunities to see examples
and have one-on-one assistance with record keeping. Older 4-H members or teen
leaders may be trained to assist younger members.
Topics - Possible topics for record training sessions
include:
4-H Record Keeping for Leaders
Setting Up Your 4-H Record Keeping System
The Arkansas 4-H Report Form
Community Service and Citizenship Activities and 4-H Records
Charting for the Arkansas 4-H Report Form
Awards and Incentives in 4-H Records
Putting Your 4-H Record Book Together (workshops)
Project Photographs or One Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
My 4-H Story
Project Planning and Record Keeping
Types of Training - In most clubs, there will be a wide
variety of levels of experience in 4-H record keeping. This may mean you will
need to offer a variety of training sessions. This could include:
Individual Conferences - Working one-to-one with a 4-H
member or leader has the advantage of allowing both you and your trainee the
opportunity to ask and answer specific questions. During individual conferences,
look for problems 4-H'ers are having with record keeping and offer specific
suggestions and encouragement. Remember to praise strengths and to leave 4-H'ers
with a feeling of "I really can."
Group meetings allow you to reach a large number at one
session and can save valuable time. The topics for group sessions should have
universal appeal. Group meetings allow members to share their experiences with
record keeping and can often be conducted as workshops. Topics that would work
well as group meetings include:
- Project Photographs
- My 4-H Story
- Putting Your 4-H Record Book Together
Telephone conferences are effective as training when
used to update members or leaders or to remind about deadlines and due dates.
Telephone conferences from time to time indicate to 4-H members your interest in
their progress.
4-H Literature
Helpful Hints for Preparing Arkansas 4-H Record Books
4-H Record Keeping Leader Training Outline (available from
your local county Extension office)
Records Coordinator - If your county has a volunteer
serving in this position, they will be available to train you in proper 4-H
record keeping procedures.
Organizational Leader - If you are a member of a
multi-project club, the organizational leader is one of the first people to
contact for information and help.
Project Leader(s) - Your club may have more than one
person in this leadership role. This person(s) guides the 4-H members in setting
goals and helps them reach those goals.
County Extension Office - The county Extension office
will provide information on any changes in 4-H record keeping. In addition, they
are available to assist you in preparing yourself for your role as records
leader.
Teen Leaders - Teen leaders once trained will be an asset
in working with younger 4-H members. Contact your organizational leader for
information on how to obtain teens to assist with record training.
| Author: |
Darlene Z. Baker Ph.D., State Leader - 4-H
Youth Development |
DR. DARLENE Z. BAKER is state leader - 4-H youth
development, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
4HCJ6-PD-10-02RV
|
