4-H Clubs
Clubs
A 4-H club is an organized group of at least five youth from three different families with two 4-H appointed adult volunteers. Youth members and adult volunteer leaders meet regularly and have a planned program that is carried out through all or most of the year. The purpose of a 4-H club is to provide positive youth development opportunities that enable youth to reach their full potential as competent, confident, leaders of character who contribute and are connected to their communities. 4-H clubs usually meet in the evenings or on weekends and offer self-chosen multiple learning experiences and activities. The youth officers run the meetings, typically using parliamentary procedure.
Generally, youth register for one or more 4-H Project Proficiencies
A 4-H club must be chartered by 4-H National Headquarters at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State 4-H office in order to be recognized as part of 4-H, and to be authorized to use the 4-H Name and Emblem. The 4-H charter also authorizes the following privileges inclusion as a tax-exempt unit under the University of California's 501(c)3 non-profit status and the authority to raise, allocate, and disburse funds in support of local 4-H programs, projects, and groups.
We have three types of 4-H Clubs in Sonoma County.
4-H Community Clubs: Organized in local communities and are open to all youth and families. They provide opportunities for youth to learn valuable skills with lifelong benefits and contribute to their communities through “hands-on” 4-H Project Proficiencies guided by appointed 4-H adult volunteers. 4-H community clubs are a safe place where youth can learn record keeping, practice decision making and participate in diverse educational activities related to club projects and governance.
- 4-H Afterschool Clubs: Organized in afterschool settings or existing programs that serve youth in a specific school, program or setting and are administered by U.C. Cooperative Extension staff as part of our 4-H Outreach They provide opportunities for youth to learn valuable skills with lifelong benefits and contribute to their communities through “hands-on” project-based learning. 4-H afterschool clubs are a safe place led by caring adult volunteers.
- 4-H Special Interest (SPIN) Clubs: Organized in local communities and are open to all youth and families. 4-H SPIN clubs engage youth in experiential exploration of a topic of interest. They focus on specific content and offer youth the opportunity for mastery and decision-making in an environment that fosters belonging. The level of mastery is dependent on the developmental ability of the youth. 4-H SPIN clubs are a safe place led by caring adult volunteers that are content experts. 4-H SPIN clubs appeal to the special interests of youth and adults and allows youth to investigate topics that may not be offered by 4-H projects in other club models.