1. 4H Namibia, Rundu, Kavango region
How to Start a New 4H Club
4H Namibia, Rundu, Kavango region

2. Where can a 4H club be started?
A 4H club can be started in any community where there are a group of boys and girls of age 6-25 years of age who wish to become members, an parents or adults who wish to assist in a leadership capacity.
Whom to contact if you wanted to start a new 4H club?
Contact the regional 4H Coordinator in the region in which you live.
The coordinator will discuss the details of the 4H programme with you, determine the extent of interest, local leadership potential, and community needs of the youth, and answer any questions you may have.
A meeting day would then be set when prospective members and their parents and other interested persons in the community would meet with the 4H coordinator. At this time the 4H coordinator would outline the programme, would display materials available and would learn what interests of the members would have in 4H, and learn from the adults present how much the community support a 4H club will receive.

3. What materials a new 4H club would require?
A club diary
Project booklets
4H brochure
Any other materials club needs for activities

4. At the first meeting of a new 4H club, what decisions should be made?
Decide of the name for the club
Decide on what programme the club will offer (learning, fun activities)
Elect the club officers as follows:
Chairman, club leader
Vice chair, vice leader
Secretary
Treasurer
Club reporter
Committees as required
Decide regular time and place fo rmeeting. General meetings are usually held once or twice a month

5. What projects are available for 4H clubs in Namibia
Namibia 4H has got projects available in the field of
Gardening
Home economics
Environment & recycling
Arts and crafts
Tree planting & forestry
Community projects

6. How many members are needed to register for each club?
There is no minimum size for a project group, but a group of 3-5 is recommended
What can 4H members expect from their club leaders?
4H members can expect their leader to set a good example and a person they can be proud of.
If the leader doesn’t have a know how, he or she should either be able to find it or have someone else to teach to the club. The leader needs to know what he/she is teaching, but doesnt need to be expert in everything
A leader need to be patient, learning can sometimes be slow
A leader should be fair to all members, and person who knows how to control the group, she or he earns the respect from the group

7. A good 4H leader is A leader who follows time
A leader should allow members to make decisions and learn from own mistakes, members should feel they can ask anything from the leader
A leader should tell what group is doing right, to give positive feedback, not only to correct when the group do things wrong
A leader should help the group to make the best better, not to compare to others but rather to tell how the group has improved
Leader should be distributing the work load evenly, for example if there are big events like beauty peagent or exhibitions, leader can make sure all do their share of the work
A leader is a happy person who will help the group to be motivated and help kids in achieving their goals

8. The agenda of the typical 4H club meeting
Every club meeting should have a variety. Nothing kills 4H spirit like having a business part of the meeting to take too long time. It is important to have a recreational and educational program to be included in every meeting,
A suggested timeline is as follows:
Opening: 4H pledge, 4H song or a dance min
Business meeting (roll call, reports, minutes of previous club meeting, special topics for decision making, if any) min
Program ( teaching of the project, guest speaker, demonstration, doing something as a group, such as cooking, crafts, gardening) min
Recreation (sport, games, songs, dance..) min
(you can also start with a game session)

9. It is good for adults to have fun too
It is good for adults to have fun too. And by practicing it is easier to bring variety to club activities.

10. Activities at the 4H club level
Demonstration
Public speaking
Parties
Dances
Fundraising activities
Sports
Community service projects
Sharing the progress of individual projects
Taking care of school garden or tree nursery

11. How is the 4H club activities funded?
One important skill the club members can learn is fundraising
The club board makes a plan how the club will raise funds
The club can collect money from members to special acitivities or it can approach sponsors or it can have money making acitvities
The club can arrange a fundraising event, a parent event, public event such as a sport & family day
The club can use members skills such as choir, art & craft, organising a cookie sale or anything it can imagine possible.

12. THANK YOU AND REMEMBER :
”WE LEARN BY DOING” AND ”4H IS FUN”
”IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU PLAN TO FAIL”