Current Volunteers
Program Contact
Autumn Britt, 4-H Program ManagerPhone Number509-588-7817 Email Address • autumn.britt@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.
For a more in-depth look at the Positive Youth Development foundations of 4-H, check out our page on Building The Youth-Adult Partnership!
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.
For more details, refer to the 4-H Club Volunteer Packet (PDF).
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.
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. Stop in or call/email ahead to see what’s available to borrow.
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!
Shop 4-H has resources for:
- Animal Science
- Citizenship & Civic Engagement
- Cloverbuds: 5-7 year olds
- Communication & Expressive Arts
- Foods, Nutrition, & Healthy Lifestyles
- Natural Resources & Environmental Education
- Personal Growth & Career Development
- Plants, Gardening & Agriculture
- STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math
- And more!
Want to chat about ideas for your members? Give us a call, email, or pop in — we love brainstorming fun hands-on activity ideas!
Yakima County Resources
Quick Links
Volunteer Events
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.
Yakima County’s Supporting Youth Officers page gives tips and tricks for volunteers who are working with these youth to organize and run club meetings and activities.
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 Yakima County 4-H’s Youth Friendly Parliamentary Procedure page.
Strategies to Engage 4-H Parents
Support from members’ parents and caregivers is essential to the success of 4-H Clubs. Involving these adults in meaningful ways to help their 4-H member(s) and their club is a great way to build community, improve positive youth development outcomes, achieve more as a Club, and engage others as Resource Volunteers (no certification needed) and Activity Leaders (higher level of service, certification as a 4-H volunteer required).
For more information the benefits of involving 4-H families, visit our page on Strategies to Engage 4-H Parents and Caregivers.
Ohio 4-H Making the Best 4-H Clubs Better Lessons
A collection of ready-to-use lessons, handouts, and resources to help advisors strengthen their club, develop members’ communication and leadership skills, and, in general, make the best better. This project was made possible by grants from the Ohio 4-H Foundation.
These lessons can be found on the “Club Resources” page for Adams County, Ohio Extension 4-H. Each lesson includes a PDF lesson plan and handouts, in addition to supplemental resources, if needed.