Capture your clover – 4-H record keeping Part 3: Club involvement builds skills
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EmailUse the 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio to record your experiences and goals for your 4-H club or committee.
As 4-H members begin their fall enrollment season, club leaders should encourage members to complete the “My 4-H Club or Group and Committee Pages” in the Michigan 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio. The first two pages of this section of the portfolio could be completed as a group at the beginning of the club year for each club and committee.
The “My 4-H Club or Group and Committee Page” could be a valuable tool to help members learn about their club or committee, including:
- Setting goals as a group.
- Planning a group calendar for the year.
- Teaching who the key people in the group are, including the officers and volunteer leaders.
The club members should work together to determine the goals of the club for the year. One of the first meetings of the year should be set aside for the members to plan the calendar for the year. It is important that members take part in planning the club year; this should not be decided by the leaders. Michigan 4-H Guiding Principles states that 4-H members should be “actively engaged in their own development” and “are considered participants rather than recipients in the learning process.” 4-H leaders should serve in an advisory role to the members as the club members plan their year.
As the club is setting goals for the year, you should consider the life skills members woul like to gain from their experience and plan specific activities to guide members in gaining these skills. The Michigan State University Extension article series, “Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting,” suggests a number of club activities that can help clubs provide experiences that will help members develop life skills:
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Thinking
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Living
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Being
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Working
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Giving
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Managing
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Caring
- Building and practicing life skills in a 4-H club setting: Relating
A copy of the complete portfolio can be found at: 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio. Look for additional MSU Extension articles highlighting the Michigan 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio.
