Montgomery County 4-H Member Handbook

Transcription

1 Montgomery County 4-H Member Handbook

2 Interested in becoming a 4-H 4-H Frequently Asked Questions member? What is 4-H? The 4-H youth development program uses a learn-by-doing approach to enable youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills they need to become competent, caring and contributing citizens of the world. This is accomplished by using the knowledge and resources of caring adults. The goals of the 4-H program are to: provide informal, educational programs for youth; encourage responsibility, community awareness and character development in youth; strengthen skills for adults working with youth through publications and training; and improve community partnerships and collaborations. How old do you have to be to join 4-H? Youth must be in grades However, we also offer a Clover Kids group for grades 1-3. How much does it cost to join 4-H? Iowa 4-H has a $30 per-member fee, payable yearly. There is also a $1 ($2 if enrolled in horses) insurance fee due per member. In addition, members may also be responsible for paying for their own project materials, supplies, camp fees, conferences, emblem, and record book covers, depending on what each youth decides to become involved in. What are the four H s? The H s stand for: head, heart, hands, and health What is the 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. What is the 4-H motto? To Make the Best Better Do I have to live on a farm to join 4-H? No, although 4-H began as a program for rural children, today 4-H is available for all children whether they live on a farm or in the city. How do I stay informed about 4-H opportunities? Read the Green Gazette, your free monthly 4-H newsletter. It will give you all the details about upcoming programs. You can also stay up to date with events going on by liking our page on Facebook! Does 4-H have a website? Yes, we have a website! It also has links to the state web site. What is expected of a 4-H member? Members are expected to attend club meetings- give one educational presentation per year, set goals, and measure progress toward those goals.

3 Montgomery County 4-H Clubs Most clubs meet once a month for one to three hours in a member s home, church, school, the Extension Office, etc. Meetings include: -Business meeting (parliamentary procedure) -Educational presentation -Recreation -Snack -Clubs also decide on a wide range of recreational, educational, and community service activities such as parties, camp outs, field trips, caroling, cleanups, etc. -A member should attend as many club meetings as possible. Some clubs may have a minimum requirement. -Educational presentations An opportunity for one or more members to share communication skills by presenting a topic of their choice at a meeting. Presentations may use any type of visual aid to convey the message and be any length. Montgomery County 4-H Clubs Buckaroos Red Oak Area Meet on the 2 nd Sunday of each month at the Extension Office at 12pm. Club Leaders Barb Lombard (C) E. Linden ( ) lombardb@roschools.com Red Oak, Iowa East Sunrisers Villisca Area Meet the 1 st Wednesday of each month at the Villisca High School Home Ec Room at 7pm Club Leaders Chris Nippert (C) W Ave. ( ) aggal30@gmail.com Villisca, Iowa Darcy Dalton (H) (C) W High Street ( ) ddalton@villiscaschools.org Villisca, Iowa TJ Leonard (C) W High Street ( ) happyappies@yahoo.com Villisca, Iowa 50864

4 Grant Spitfires Red Oak Area Meet on the 2 nd Sunday of each month at 6pm at the White Building on Fairgrounds Club Leaders Beth Vial (H) (C) th Street ( ) beth@heartlandinsia.com Red Oak, Iowa Mary and Brian Carlson (H) th Street ( ) carlsons@heartland.net Red Oak, Iowa Lincoln Hustlers NW Part of County Meet on the 2 nd Sunday of each month at VanMeter s Home at 5pm Club Leaders Tammi and Brian VanMeter (H) (C) D Ave. ( ) vanmetert@roschools.com Emerson, Iowa Sherri Vrabel (C) Boundary Street ( ) svrabel09@gmail.com Red Oak, Iowa Pilot Grove Punchers Meet on 2 nd Sunday of each month at the Extension Office at 2pm Club Leader Curt and Jennifer Frazee (H) th Street ( ) cjfrazee@hotmail.com Hastings, Iowa Stanton Strivers Stanton Area Meet on the 1 st Saturday of every month at the Stanton Community Room at 10am Club Leader Marta Clark-Moffett (C) PO Box 305 ( ) mmoffett@myfmtc.com Stanton, Iowa Michelle Sandin (H) (C) th Street ( ) michelle.sandin@fcamerica.com Villisca, Iowa Amy Tibben (H) (C) PO Box 312 ( ) jakktibben@hotmail.com Stanton, Iowa 51573

5 Clover Kids Who: Clover Kids is for youth in grades K-3. What: Clover kids are a little different from the other 4-H clubs, as they don t have officers or keep record books. Clover Kids is a fun 4-H program for youth to participate in hands-on activities designed to build lots of different life skills! Clover Kids meet for an hour once a month. How much does it cost: Clover Kids is a free group. Meetings are an hour long gathering of learning by doing hands on activities. How do I Join? There are three small groups across the county to choose from with their own meeting times, locations and leaders. First you will need to choose your club and sign up with the Extension Office! Red Oak Clover Kids Meets the third Wednesday of each month from 5-6pm at the Montgomery County Extension Office in Red Oak. Villisca Clover Kids Meets the third Sunday of each month from 4-5:30pm at the Villisca Enarson Elementary School. Stanton Clover Kids Meets the last Thursday of each month from 3:30-4:30 at the Viking Center in Stanton. Parents: Parents are welcome to stay and assist with projects and activities and to see what 4-H is all about! Clover Kids take turns each month to provide snacks and drinks for the group.

6 Club Officers Each 4-H club will elect officers at the beginning of a new 4-H year to help lead the club. Most clubs will elect the following officers: President: presides at the club meeting using parliamentary procedure, works to ensure that all members get a chance to share their ideas and participate in the business meeting. Vice President: greets, introduces and thanks guests and speakers at club meetings; and presides at the club meeting using parliamentary procedure in the president s absence. Secretary: keeps accurate minutes of the business meeting, keeps accurate attendance records, and writes letters and thank you notes on behalf of the club. Treasurer: keeps accurate financial records for the club, and turns in records to his or her club leader at the end of the officer s term. Reporter: writes a monthly article about the club s activities for the Green Gazette, the 4-H newsletter, and helps promote 4-H club activities. Historian: keeps records of the group s accomplishments and activities for the year. This office will often also be the club photographer, gathering pictures and organizing a scrapbook to tell the clubs 4-H story for the year. Club officers participate in an officer training at the beginning of each 4-H year. Some club leaders hold their own, while others participate in the county wide training held by the Extension Office. Club Officers keep record books and submit them at the same time as their personal record books.

7 Projects A project is an area of study each member is expected to participate in and, by doing so, learning about a project, develop the pride of ownership, learn the joy of accomplishment, explore future career possibilities, and enjoy the fun of working with a group. Carrying out a project will help the individual LEARN BY DOING. The 4-H member can get experience in decision making when deciding on projects and the quality of work to be performed. Members learn to accept responsibility by completing project work, and the value and techniques of keeping accurate records. As members gain knowledge and experience, they are encouraged to increase the size, scope, and number of projects. Animals Beef Dairy Cattle Dairy Goats Dogs Horse & Pony Meat Goats Pets Poultry Rabbit Sheep Swine Vet Science Creative Arts Music Photography Visual Arts Personal Development Citizenship Communication Leadership Self-Determined Family Consumer Science Child Development Clothing Consumer Management Food & Nutrition Health Home Improvement Sewing Ag & Natural Resources Crop Production Environment & Sustainability Horticulture Outdoor Adventures Shooting Spots Science, Engineering & Technology Mechanics Woodworking Aerospace Biology Computers Digital storytelling Earth & Climate GPS/GIS Robotics Science in our Lives

8 County Fair County fair is held in July, providing members an opportunity to have project work evaluated. It offers a variety of individual and group learning experiences. Exhibit (Not a requirement!) An exhibit is anything through which a member can show what has been learned in a specific project. The exhibit might be an actual item, poster, audiotape, videotape, notebook, folder, display board, etc. For specific listing of rules, classes, awards, premiums, and superintendents of each project area, a fair book will be distributed to families and 4-H leaders. Record Keeping Record keeping helps members: to set goals, see accomplishments while growing, learning and developing to reach those goals, use decision-making skills, practice communication skills in recording, systematically and accurately, and to learn to keep financial records. Record Books Record books are not required by the county, but highly encouraged. Some clubs may require members to complete and turn in record books. In the fall, after county fair, record books are due from all members to their club leaders. Club leaders then judge the books and pass them along to the extension office where they are judged again. Youth are awarded project awards, and recognition for their hard work at the Awards Celebration.

9 Awards Celebration The annual awards celebration is held towards the end of fall, after all record books have been judged. Clubs and individuals are awarded for their hard work throughout the year with certificates, pins, and fun 4-H items. Awards range from community service projects to beef to photography. The awards celebration is for all club members and their families to come together to enjoy snacks and celebrate another successful year.

10 4-H County Youth Council Membership on the Montgomery County Youth Council is an honor, as it represents leaders from each of the 4-H clubs. Along with honor comes responsibility. The requirements to apply for county council include: being an experienced 4-H member in grades 9-12, and to have completed and turned in a record book by the September 15 deadline for the preceding year. Members serve as junior superintendents, plan and carry out activities county wide for both members and families, help at county fair, do community service projects and much, much more!

11 Get Signed Up! Once you have chosen which club is right for you, you can begin by attending the meetings. Your next step is getting signed up on 4-H Online! Finally, get involved and meet new friends! 4-H Online enrollment process 1. Go to (notice there s no www in that address). 2. Click I need to set up a profile. A drop down menu will appear. Select the county you want to join, then type in your valid family address. * addresses must be valid in order for you to have access to your enrollment information it s your account login as well as how you receive information. * 3. Confirm your address 4. Type in your parent/guardian/household s last name. (This will be the name that appears on mailing labels The Johnson Family for example.) 5. Create your password must include letters and numbers/symbols with a minimum of 8 characters. 6. Click on Create Login

12 4-H Calendar Before your schedule fills up, remember some of these important 4-H activities for the year! September First Club Meeting October National 4-H Week November Awards Celebration December Beef Weigh In, December 15 th 4-H Online Deadline January County Dodgeball Tournament February FSQA Training March FSQA Training, Swine Weigh In April FSQA Training May Lamb/Goat Weigh In, May 15 th project deadline June Summer Day Camps July County Fair August State Fair Don t forget to add in your regular monthly 4-H meetings and club activities too!