Kittitas County 4-H Youth

Current Volunteers

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Program Contact

Amy Alder, 4-H Program Manager
Phone Number509-962-7565 Email Address • amy.alder@wsu.edu

Positive Youth Development

Positive Youth Development (PYD) is a research-based approach to youth development that is at the heart of all 4-H programming.

Every new club is different, but here are a few tips that may help your club get off to a great start!

  • Schedule time to meet with local 4-H staff. We have lots of resources to help you get going and can help prioritize options, recruit members, locate meeting spaces, share program information with members, support enrollment, help run initial meeting activities, and more!
  • Start with only one or two projects. Some long-time clubs only support one or two projects, while others support several. There is no right or wrong approach after your club evolves, but starting simple is key to success.
  • Focus on BELONGING. Youth and families (Volunteers too!) want to be in fun and welcoming places. Start and end club meetings with ice breakers, games, or fun activities . If a lot of information needs to be relayed to parents, split into two groups with one volunteer leading youth activities and another talking with parents (or call in 4-H staff for support!).  If the first several club meetings don’t allow kids to meet one another, develop common interests and have fun, they will drag their feet getting to the next meeting and may stop showing up.
  • Wait to hold club funds. 4-H clubs that hold funds are set up as a non-profit under WSU/4-H’s umbrella. This allows clubs to hold funds in checking and savings accounts to purchase project supplies or pay for member experiences (field trip or event travel, pizza night, etc.). Holding funds also requires financial training, annual financial paperwork, and a youth treasurer position within the club (often supported by a volunteer). This is an additional layer of responsibility we suggest clubs wait to take on until they are ready.

New to 4-H and not sure where to start? Check out these pages to get an overview of how to start a club, plan a meeting, and grow your leadership skills while your youth learn life skills and explore their interests.

Kittitas County Resources

The Extension office has several 4-H project books on a variety of subjects, and livestock activity sets that volunteers and 4-H members can check out. See the Projects and Programs Resource Library for more information!

National Resources

Check out the 4-H project books and guides available at Shop 4-H (under Curriculum).  If your club needs support in previewing or purchasing materials let us know!

Quick Links

Youth Engagement

Before the meeting begins, youth will need to feel welcome in the club space.  One way to do this is to have pre-meeting activity stations prepared so they have something to do that not only gets their creativity flowing, but also helps them start to get to know their fellow 4-H’ers!  Youth are more likely to participate in the meeting if they feel comfortable and like they belong.

Check out the Pre-Meeting Activities page for more ideas on how to engage youth as they walk into the meeting space.

Nervous about finding age-appropriate activities for Cloverbuds?  Check out the resource page for 4-H Cloverbuds for tips and projects specifically geared toward engaging our youngest 4-H’ers age 5-7!

Youth Officers

As a youth-driven organization, 4-H centers the voices and needs of the youth members, encouraging and supporting them as they gain leadership skills and take ownership over their clubs.  A 4-H club will elect officers to serve as the club President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and other positions as necessitated by club tasks and aspirations.

Youth themselves will find helpful resources on the 4-H Club Officers page.

Youth-Friendly Parliamentary Procedure

4-H business meetings use parliamentary procedure to help youth structure the meeting and make decisions in an orderly and efficient manner. While it may seem tricky to teach 4-Hers to use this formal process, we have tips, activities, and further resources available on Kittitas County 4-H’s Youth Friendly Parliamentary Procedure page.