4-H Youth Development

4-H is a volunteer led youth development program of the Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service. Established in Florida in 1909, 4-H has over 6.5 million members in the United States, 240,000 members in Florida, and over 10,000 in Miami-Dade County. 4-H membership is open to all children, ages 5 to 18. Through hands-on, informal education and project studies, 4-H members develop life skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication and citizenship to become responsible and productive community members.

4-H is...

4-H EMBLEM, PLEDGE, MOTTO, SLOGAN, COLORS AND CREED

Become Involved in 4-H

The most popular way to join, is to be a part of a 4-H club under the leadership of a screened volunteer adult mentor. Types of memberships are listed below and feel free to contact the 4-H office to answer questions and help you become involved.

See 4-H Questions and Answers

Types of 4-H Membership

Community club:

A screened, adult volunteer leads a group that meets on a regular basis, and for a minimum of six meetings annually. The club is held at a time and location convenient to everyone, example: in homes, parks, libraries or churches. Members participate in fun, exciting and educational 4-H events and activities, on the county, district and state level.

Clubs are encouraged to elect officers and practice parliamentary procedures.

Learn more about: Starting a 4-H Club, Club Check- List, Selecting a club Name, Quality, Vibrant Clubs, Targeting Life Skills, Learning styles, and Using the 4-H Experiential Learning Model

School enrichment:

An adult volunteer, usually the teacher, leads their class or group using 4-H curriculum.

Students can take part in exciting 4-H adventures during school hours or by meeting after school. Hands-on- activities help prepare students for school tests and for future success.

Independent members (formally called members-at-large):

Is for children who are not in community or school clubs, but work independently on 4-H project studies under guidance of a parent or adult mentor.

What's in it 4 Me?

Win awards
Learn to lead
Travel opportunities
Fun hands-on activities
Find & develop a hobby
Meet & have fun with friends
Get involved with your community
Meet & learn about your Government leaders
Participate in camp, fair, public speaking, shows, & competitive events

Volunteer... 4-H Needs U!

It’s your chance to share your knowledge and talents with young people, our future leaders. Maybe you want to be a club leader or work with kids on a short-term project. 4-H volunteers have many opportunities to get training and learn new skills.

4-H Club leader and overnight chaperones must complete a screening process.

There's a Role for U...

Organizational club leader
Project leader
Activity leader
Resource leader
Parent helper
Classroom leader
Judge
Event Coordinator
Advisory member
Guest speaker
Donor

4-H Project Books & Record Book Training

4-H project books are curriculum that youth can explore on their own with adult supervision. 4-H has an array of curriculum topics, over 50! There is curriculum on: computers, leadership, health, finance, sewing, and sport fishing to name a few.

If there is a topic a youth may be interested but 4-H does not have a curriculum book on, youth are still encourage to explore their interested topic utilizing the 4-H experiential learning model. Your 4-H agent can help guide you with this. The 4-H record book represents the 4-H member’s work within a specific project area that the member has worked on. Project record books are sheets that are completed by the youth that tell what they learned and did from their exploration of their topic through 4-H project books.Record books are divided into four categories, listed bellow (click the links bellow to download record book summaries):

4-H curriculum available through the 4-H Office at a free or low cost. Also see www.florida4h.org.

The benefits of doing project book and record books:

Expand youth's current knowledge on a suject by learning more about the subject using other sources.
Allows youth to learn about various subjects that interest them.
Youth learn and develops leadership skills through their project work.

Youth learn skills that they will use in school and in professional careers.

Youth can win “Project Pin Awards” (http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/4h/awards.shtml)

Youth can win “4-H Foundation Special Project Awards” (http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/4h/awards.shtml)
Youth can qualify to receive scholarships for 4-H Camp (http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/4h/campsite.shtml)

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