1. What is a 4-H Club? This is 4-H oklahoma 4-h volunteer development
Instructor Preparation – Allow 6-8 hours of preparation for 1 hour of instruction.
Review all materials thoroughly. Do any additional research or preparation to make yourself comfortable with the materials or to give it your personal touch.
Determine what new project/subject/topic will be introduced or reviewed in conjunction with this “core” subject matter.
Provide sample curriculum or links for resources.
In preparation for teaching this section refer to the Club Management Manual (CMS) for additional information on types of clubs, chartering, club meetings, On TRAC, 4-H pledge, etc. Position descriptions can also be referenced in the Volunteer and Club Management Manuals. Century III will also provide for additional information and background on this session.
Club Leader Resources:
Teaching Outline
Unit 2: What is a 4-H Club?
New Parent Orientation
4-H On TRAC
PowerPoint Presentations
4-H On TRAC - Taking Revitalization to All Clubs
This is 4-H Jeopardy
This is 4-H Jeopardy - Questions and Answers
Activities
4-H Club Meeting Activity Sheet
4-H Club Meeting Answer Sheet
BLT - Building Leaders for Tomorrow
How to Use BLT
Activity 11 Human Knot and Tater People
Activity 12 Spider Web
Activity 26 Build a Machine
4-H 101 Lessons
Lesson 5_ Understanding 4-H Youth Development Delivery
Lesson 10_Knowing the Basics About Clubs
Lesson 11_Getting Clubs Started
Lesson 12 - Conducting Club meetings
Lesson 13A_Planning the 4-H Club Year
Activity 13A_Planning the 4-H Club Year
Lesson 13B_Roles and Responsibilities
Activity 13B_Roles and Responsibilities
Lesson 14_Marketing 4-H Clubs
Activity 14_Marketing 4-H Clubs
TAG - Teen Action and Growth
Divine Guidance ParliPro Skit
Ghost of a Dead Meeting ParliPro Skit
Handouts
On TRAC - Montlhy 4-H Meeting Planning Guide
On TRAC - Yearly Local Club Programming Guide_Example
The 4-H Member Who Never Came Back
Newsletter Support Materials
4-H Creed for Members
4-H Creed for Volunteers
4-H Parents Pledge
Get the Most Out of 4-H
How 4-H is Organized
How Does My 4-H Club Measure-Up
So You're a 4-H Parent_Guardian
Stay Informed
This I Believe

2. A 4-H Club is…
A group of boys and girls who learn leadership and cooperation through fun and educational programs.
Clubs encourage:
Decision-Making Skills
Cooperation in Groups
Leadership Development
Communication Skills
New Ideas
Knowledge and Skill Development
Pride in Group Efforts
Self-Confidence
A 4-H club is a group of boys and girls called members. The members learn leadership and cooperation through fun and educational programs.
Club activities encourage members:
to develop decision-making skills
to cooperate in group or team efforts
to practice and refine leadership abilities
to develop skills in group communications 
to try new and different ideas
to gain new knowledge and skills
to take pride in group or team endeavors and
to build self-confidence

3. Short-Term Special Interest Groups Afterschool Programs
Types of 4-H Clubs
Community Club
Project Club
Short-Term Special Interest Groups
Afterschool Programs
See Club Management Manual and Century III for additional information.
Clubs are managed and advised by one or more certified adult volunteers, who are 21 or older, with the support of club officers, teen leaders and parents.
A community club, sometimes called a multi-project club, is a group of boys and girls of a variety of ages and interests, who elect officers and are supported by adult volunteer leaders. Multi-project club meet regularly to conduct a business meeting, address county 4-H requests and community issues, provide an educational program, and participate in group building or recreation. In a community club a project experiences occur at home or through project groups held at times outside the club meeting. The club includes opportunities for leadership, citizenship and public speaking.
Clubs that meet regularly, conduct a business meeting, address any county 4-H requests and community issues and then focus on one project of mutual interest are referred to as Project clubs.
Short-term special interest groups may be formed for a brief period of time to provide focused education and skill development. An example would be a Speech club that meets for six weeks prior to the Public Speaking event, helping members prepare.
Afterschool programs are conducted in cooperation with an organized youth group.

4. Chartered 4-H Clubs To maintain charter…
A 4-H club that has agreed to meet established standards.
To maintain charter…
Annual monthly meeting planning guides
Actively recruit diversity in membership and meet regularly
End-of-Year Evaluation/Report
Annual financial accounting of club funds
Enroll members and volunteers annually.
Parents and volunteers to participate in Parent-Volunteer training and Parent-Volunteer Association Meeting
4-H clubs must be chartered. With that charter, comes established rights and responsibilities to the 4-H program and its members.
To maintain a charter the members and club must
Complete an annual set of monthly meeting planning guides
Actively recruit diversity in membership and meet regularly
File an End-of-Year report of club activities
Complete an annual financial accounting of club funds
Annually enroll members and volunteers
Involve parents and volunteers in county, district and state Parent-Volunteer training and the county Parent-Volunteer Association Meeting

5. 4-H Clubs Meet regularly
Run by youth officers, supervised and instructed by a caring adult volunteer(s)
Educational
Fun and enjoyable for members and families
Provide recognition and peer support
Well organized
In a model 4-H club:
Two-thirds of the members make progress toward individual 4-H project goals, completing at least one project. The club supports project work by providing at least 2 project groups.
There is a healthy ratio of certified volunteers supporting youth, club programming and project work.
Members have shared responsibility for making decisions and operating the club through committees, officers and On TRAC program planning.
Focused programming provides an organized, fun and educational environment for members, volunteers and parents.
Six or more club meetings held on a regular schedule.
Participation in learning experiences outside of the local group.
Involvement in the community through community service.
Personal evaluation and recognition of progress on individual and group goals.
Effective blend of all five components of the 4-H Recognition Model.

6. Oklahoma 4-H On TRAC “Taking Revitalization to All Clubs”
The success or failure of a club to expand, interest new members and retain current membership depends largely on the programs and activities planned and carried out. A well-balanced and pre-planned program provides a solid foundation for a successful year. Planning twelve months in advance…
Makes for interesting and better-balanced meetings.
Allows member to take part - ownership in the club.
Gives families a feeling of security and direction.
Sets an example and provides experience in planning ahead.
Helps distribute the leadership and responsibilities.
 Each club is unique in its membership. Therefore, it is necessary to plan the program accordingly. A good monthly program will meet the needs of members and introduce them to a variety of topics. The On TRAC planning process teaches the club to establish goals, select activities of interest, schedule presenters and prepare a calendar.
 The planning process will vary with the age, maturity, skills and experiences of the club members. With younger members, adults will be engaged as an educator involving youth in the process. Older members should take the lead with adults functioning as a mentor.
Handouts – Monthly 4-H Meeting Planning and Yearly Local Club Programming
(insert county name)

7. Parts of a 4-H Meeting Business – 17% 4-H Club Ritual and Pledge
Monthly Business Meeting
Educational Program – 50%
Speeches and Demonstrations
Lesson
Recreation and Refreshments – 33%
Games, Songs, etc.
Snacks or Meal
There are three parts to every good 4-H meeting—Business, Education and Recreation. All three are necessary for variety and balance. This balance keeps the interest of the members and makes the 4-H meeting worthwhile. A good rule of thumb for planning regular meetings is: minutes for the business meeting; minutes for educational activities; and minutes for recreation.
A club should not be totally defined by the “meeting.” More importantly, a club should be defined as a “local group where members learn leadership and cooperation through fun and educational programs.”
To keep the meeting interesting the business portion should be short and snappy, allowing adequate time to take care of business.
The largest portion of a 4-H meeting is the education. This is time wisely used to teach new skills and concepts, introduce a new subject matter and practice life skills.
Part of the educational time is club members doing speeches, demonstrations or illustrated talks related to their 4-H projects.
Recreation is vital to a 4-H club meeting. It can include singing, games and snacks. Through recreation, boys and girls learn cooperation, how to follow and give directions and how to better understand themselves and others. Recreation is an excellent educational tool.

8. 4-H Pledge I pledge My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service, and
My health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.
The pledge briefly describes what 4-H is about. Reciting the pledge has an important place in a 4-H meetings. Doing the pledge in conjunction with the 4-H ritual member begin to have a deeper understanding of the program in which they are a member.
Handout – 4-H Club Ritual
OK Cooperative Exension Service

9. Local 4-H Club Structure
Activity Leader
Project Leader
Organizational Leader
Teen Leader
Committee(s) of Members
Local 4-H Club Structure
Refer to Volunteer Management System Manual pg. 12 and pgs
The local and county programs depend on the family sharing time, talents and skills. Certified adult volunteers are entrusted to provide a safe environment for learning, developing life skills and growth as a leader and citizen.
The local club officers are responsible for planning and conducting club meetings and club business. The organizational leader works closely with the officers developing their skills in organization, parliamentary procedure and leadership.

10. Organizational Leader – primary leadership for 4-H club
Organizational Leader – primary leadership for 4-H club. They coordinate, guide and provide leadership. Possess good communication skills.
Activity Leader – primary leadership for planning and coordinating an activity through a committee of youth and adults. (Share-the-Fun, Picnic, Service Project, etc.)
Local 4-H Club Structure
The Organizational Leader provides primary leadership facilitating, coordinating and guiding youth, families and volunteers.
The Activity Leader provides leadership to a committee of youth and adult who plan and coordinate an activity such as Share-the-Fun.

11. Project Leader – primary leadership educating and training members in a specific subject matter.
Teen Leader – assists local leadership. As skills are acquired they may serve as an activity, project or organizational leader.
Local 4-H Club Structure
Project Leaders provide leadership in developing and implementing in-depth educational programs about a specific subject matter.
Teen Leaders are youth interested in developing their leadership skills by assisting local leadership. As they demonstrate their skills and sense of responsibility, teens may serve as an activity and project leader.

12. Local 4-H Club Structure
Membership and Families – actively participate in club meetings, committees and activities. Share time, talents and skills with club.
Local 4-H Club Structure
A sound 4-H club requires the commitment of 4-H membership and their families. The 4-H family enthusiastically participates in club meetings, committees and activities.

13. Building Leaders for Tomorrow (BLT)
Activity
Building Leaders for Tomorrow (BLT)
Choose one of three Building Leaders for Tomorrow activities to assist volunteers in understanding how to develop life skills in a 4-H club.
#26 Building a Machine - The activity is a fun way to demonstrate working together as a group, as well as an opportunity to experience how decisions are made by a group. “Build a Machine” uses physical activity to illustrate and help youth understand that the work of each individual is important to the group as a whole.
#11 Human Knot - The leader who helps a group of people become a team by involving them in planning and decision making process in an enabler. This leadership style cares for people and helps people to accomplish tasks. The enable does not do it for them. The enable develops each person’s talents and provides opportunities for success and growth.
#12 Spider Web - This is an easy activity that can be done at the start of a meeting or before a new committee begins to function as a reminder that the participation and contributions of every member is essential for the success of the group. It demonstrates how we are all interconnected even though the connections may be difficult to see. It is also a good illustration for teaching responsibility and follow-through.

14. Effective Club Meetings
Activity
Effective Club Meetings
Choose one of two Teen Action and Growth (TAG) skits to assist volunteers in understanding how a 4-H meeting should run.
Divine Guidance
Ghost of a Dead Meeting
Show volunteers where to download the following leadership curriculum. You may choose to copy and distribute some of the pieces. online/leadership-development/leadership-development-1
4H.VOL.301 President Book
4H.VOL.302 Secretary Book
4H.VOL.303 Treasurer Book
4H.VOL.304 Leadership Guide
4H.VOL.305 Club Meeting
4H.VOL H Club Ritual
4H.VOL.307 Meeting Guide
4H.VOL.308 The Motion
4H.VOL.309 Are you Ready to Serve
4H.VOL.310 Committee
4H.VOL.311 How does your meeting measure up?
4H.VOL.312 The Agenda

15. Activity Marketing a Club 4-H 101 Lesson 14 – Marketing a Club
This activity would be a good exercise at the beginning or end of the year. It would get the club/volunteers thinking about how to “market” enrollment and participation in the local club.
Other 4-H 101 lessons which would complement this lesson:
Lesson 12 (pages ) – Conducting Club Meetings
Lesson 13A (pages ) – Planning the 4-H Year
Lesson 13B (pages ) – Roles and Responsibilities

16. Oklahoma 4-H On TRAC “Taking Revitalization to All Clubs”
Conduct On TRAC training. Materials located in Handouts, PowerPoint and Teaching Outline.
(insert county name)