2013 Resource Guide - 4-H Ontario

ABOUT 4 H
WHAT IS 4-H?
“
4-H is community building in its
most sincere sense… volunteers
learning and guiding youth to
explore and gain knowledge in
real, practical ways.”
LEARN TO
Camps, conferences and exchanges are available in which
4-H is a grassroots organization of leaders building
leaders. 4-H emphasizes the importance of looking at the
big picture; that youth need to see beyond themselves and
focus on how their actions affect their relationships, their
community, the environment and society as a whole.
This belief is reflected in the 4-H pledge, said at the beginning
of every 4-H meeting and event. The 4-H pledge
encourages a balanced lifestyle (intellectual, emotional,
physical and spiritual), and reminds participants to aim to
be a good friend, mentor, community member and citizen.
4-H is based on a “Learn To Do By Doing” philosophy.
Members aged 9–21 and volunteer leaders come together
to create a 4-H club, where members learn about a selected
topic through hands-on activities and mentorship. In
the Cloverbud program, participants aged 6–8 work with
volunteer leaders on a variety of units over a full year.
4-H activities and clubs are structured to develop leadership
skills including public speaking, communication,
decision making, parliamentary procedure, meeting management
and networking, while also educating members
about the club subject matter. These leadership and life
skills, equip 4-H participants to reach their full potential,
becoming conscious and contributing citizens.
The 4-H club is a safe environment that fosters personal
growth and development. 4-H encourages team collaboration,
peer-to-peer support and independent learning.
Leaders guide members through activities, yet provide
them with the freedom to make their own mistakes and
assist one another in the learning process.
To supplement learning that occurs at the club level, 4-H
provides provincial and national opportunities, enabling
members to further expand their knowledge and horizons.
—Wraychel Horne, Executive Director, 4-H Ontario
4-H members and young 4-H alumni may participate. Many
camps and conferences are open to all interested youth—
not just 4-H members and participants.
4-H works to provide a safe and welcoming environment
for all youth. The 4-H approach to learning, development
of life skills and leadership, and a focus on community
involvement, makes the 4-H program unique.
THE 4-H CLUB
4-H clubs are comprised of a minimum of six 4-H members
and two trained, screened volunteers who act as club
leaders. The club decides on a topic and through leader
instruction and hands-on learning, members spend 12
hours exploring the topic during 4-H meetings. 4-H members
and volunteers can belong to as many clubs as they
wish. Topics include cooking, woodworking, camping,
building a healthy body image, drama, agricultural business
management, photography and much more.
4-H CLUB MEETINGS
4-H clubs typically come together for six two-hour meetings.
The meetings are organized by the club volunteers
(also known as leaders) and learning content can take
many forms—tours, guest speakers, demonstrations,
activities, etc.
4-H meetings are structured with formal meeting time and
hands-on learning time. The formal meeting time is often
referred to as the “business portion” of the meeting. In
the formal meeting time, 4-H’rs discuss club issues and
opportunities, while also learning about parliamentary
procedure.
Once club “business” has finished, members are guided
by leaders and fellow members in hands-on activities.
Meetings are typically wrapped up with social recreation
and snacks.
Members must participate in at least two-thirds of the
club meeting time and participate in the Club Achievement
Program to have successfully completed the club project.
THE CLUB EXECUTIVE
Each club has a variety of executive positions. These
positions work with each other, and other club members,
to accomplish goals set by club members. They also help
guide meetings to ensure everything runs smoothly. The
4 2013 4-H ONTARIO RESOURCE GUIDE