Good Morning Everyone!
Today is going to be a 4-H day! For some of you who don't know what 4-H means, let me explain! 4-H is a youth organization which was developed to teach youth between 12 to 21 years of age agriculture and homemaking skills in rural areas. It started in Canada in the early 1900's, and as some old timers have stated it was known by a different name such as the Boys and Girls Club. Now it is not just a program for rural kids, but has also penetrated urban settings. The age limit has lowered as well, and in Ontario, the program accepts members as young as 10 years old.
My involvement with the 4-H program started when I turned 12 years old. It was great to hang out with my friends, and do some really cool stuff. Thanks to my mom, she lead the 4-H projects, not only for me, but my siblings, and a few of the local kids too! She did the homemaking clubs, which now is referred to as Lifestyle clubs. These clubs were directed more at the girls, but when the boys joined they had just as much fun! We learned about cooking, baking, and sewing. Now the lifestyle clubs include career development, sports, public speaking, dancing, photography, and you name it, it might be a project. More are being developed each year! There are also the staple clubs directed at agriculture: beef, dairy, goat, sheep, horse, rabbit, and farm safety. The program also generates opportunities for kids to travel, and gain new experiences.
When I was 15 years old, I participated in the 4-H Exchange program. It was where kids from Ontario got to go and live one week in a different province in Canada, and then that 4-H member came back for a week to live with you and your family. My exchange was from Swift Current, Saskatchewan. We were the same age, had many similar interests, and became fast friends. It was a great two weeks of my life, and that experience and friendship remains a special memory for me. I can easily say at that time, that was the farthest away from home I had ever been!!! Without the 4-H program, I would never have had that experience. So 4-H remained part of my life until I went off to college, and then it faded into the background as I started my life, so to speak.
It wasn't until I was settled into a job that 4-H came back into my life. A co-worker was talking about how his daughter was doing a 4-H project. I said, "I was a 4-H member!" The next day, I found the volunteer application on my desk ~ they were looking for help! That was 13 years ago now! :)
I started by helping a local retired teacher run her 4-H club. It was a year-round lifestyle club. She ran project after project, and made up a few locally approved projects too. She had incredible drive to bring these projects to the kids! On average, I think she had 20-25 kids every meeting! No wonder she needed some help! LOL! The number of kids' lives she touched in our local area was incredible, and I know that these kids got to learn a lot of new skills to carry them forward in their own lives! She not only taught them the skills, but she also taught them manners, etiquette, how to respect each other, and how to run a meeting. There were rules to follow if you wanted to be part of this 4-H club! And every local kid did! Many an upstanding citizen was created out of the 4-H Hillbilly club!
She asked me to come to the Association 4-H meeting. This is where leaders from the local clubs got together to discuss 4-H business. This was the level between the local clubs and the provincial 4-H body. Having a strong office administration background, I was drawn to this kind of meeting. Needless to say, my skills got put to work very quickly! I left that meeting as the new 4-H Association Secretary.
Various jobs have followed, and I remain the 4-H Association administrator to this day. An administrator does whatever is needed to keep the 4-H program working at the local level. I have been the volunteer screening coordinator, secretary, treasurer, webmaster, newsletter editor, awards coordinator, region representative, club resource contact, and database coordinator. Most of these jobs are interconnected, so it's like having one big job! I still enjoy the administration tasks, and they aren't happening every day, but can kick into action any day or night!
I save up the various tasks, then I have a 4-H day, such as today! This is when I might be doing any of the following. Update the treasurer books, and get them brought up to speed. Make sure correspondence is getting out to the local volunteers. Explain the procedures to new volunteers who want to get a club running, and direct interested people on how to become a volunteer with the 4-H program. Get the registration forms out to the club volunteers to start their clubs, make sure project club manuals are copied, and ready for the start of the club. Make sure the 4-H kids are registered in the provincial database for their project awards! Request the awards to be sent in time for achievement day ~ and when they aren't ~ make them up myself so that there won't be disappointed kids!!! Have a conference call with 4-H Ontario on new procedures and process changes, and implement these changes to the local level. Set up meetings, and call volunteers with meeting reminders the night before so to get a good turn out.
It is a thankless job, but the pay cheque comes from knowing I have made a difference in someone's life ~ in particularly a 4-H member! I am not on the front lines as our club volunteers are! They deserve the credit for giving these kids the 4-H experience!!! I am the support behind the scenes, and I have enjoyed being a supportive structure to the 4-H program in Temiskaming.
However, if there is anyone in my local area interested in taking over any of these tasks, we can beginning training right away. Just email me! :) Check out our website: http://www.temiskaming4-h.ca/
Yours in 4-H spirit,
S
No comments:
Post a Comment