Volunteers and Leaders

Volunteers

4-H volunteers are essential to help youth make the most of a wide variety of learning experiences. As a volunteer, you can share your personal interests and expertise in a variety of subjects including gardening, shooting sports, robotics, animal science, sewing/crafting, public speaking, foods and nutrition, and much more. In 4-H, you can leverage your experience and skills to help a young person find their own passions and interests.

You decide your level of involvement to fit your schedule. Volunteers can lead youth in a community or project club, after-school program, camp, or school groupserve as a chaperone, board member, judge, or camp counsel, or develop and support service opportunities for youth to learn caring and compassion in your community. Work with other volunteers to create fun and exciting programs to help youth in your community reach their full potential.

4-H is an opportunity we wish every young person could have because research shows it is a step forward. More than 60 million of our nation’s most successful statesmen, business leaders, and scientists credit 4-h with setting them on a positive, productive path.

Compared to their peers...

4-H youth are:

• 2x as likely to go to college
• 2x as likely to pursue a career related to sciencemore likely to make healthier choices, be physically active, and avoid risky behaviors
• 3x as likely to give back to their communities

When you share your experiences with 4-Hers, you make a difference by helping youth become caring and competent citizens.

4-H offers a flexible experience where you decide your level of involvement. Nearly 90 percent of 4-H volunteers are satisfied with their volunteer role.  4-H needs caring, active volunteers to provide hands-on guidance and mentoring4-h needs volunteers with a range of backgrounds and skills

If every young person could step into 4-H, imagine all the resourceful problem solvers, skilled workers, and capable leaders they would become. That future is in our reach if we all lend our time and talents to guide the young people who will create it. Make the investment of a lifetime- become a 4-H volunteer, and inspire the next generation!

Leaders

4-H relies on volunteer leaders to work with the extension staff. If your are interested in serving, contact us at 850-342-0187.

Volunteer leaders have responsibility for the functions of your club. however, it takes the active involvement of club members and parents to have an active and fun club with a variety of interesting learning experiences. Parents can help out by leading projects and activities. Some of the rules for leaders from the handbook are:

• Club organizational leaders must have the approval of the 4-H coordinator.
• Club leaders are approved for one year appointments and may be continued upon approval of the leader, the club and the county 4-H coordinator.
• All certified adults providing leadership in Jefferson county 4-H are considered volunteer staff of the University of Florida’s Cooperative Extension Service with liability and workers compensation protection through the university. This is to protect volunteers from the danger of lawsuits or of injury related to their responsibilities as a 4-H volunteer.