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Ohio 4-H Youth Development

Ohio State University Extension

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Alumni wanted: How to stay involved

A man helping two teen girls with a coding project.

Ten years as a 4-H project member go by quickly, especially when those years are filled with hands-on learning, meeting new friends, and making lots of memories.

4-H alumni often describe the program as one of the most influential parts of their childhood. You can help the youth of today and tomorrow have that same 4-H experience by staying involved with the program as a 4-H alumni. Here are 10 ways that you can volunteer.

  1. Help youth lead a club
    • Assist with organizing meetings, speakers, and other logistics.
    • Assist and/or mentor a 4-H volunteer who is serving as a project leader.
  2. Teach a skill
    • Organize a club or share your skills by teaching a club meeting workshop devoted to your area of specialty.
  3. Judge projects
    • Serve as a judge for 4-H exhibits, competitions, or performances, providing encouragement and suggestions for improvement.
  4. Plan or assist at an event
    • Volunteer at a county special event—from set up or clean up to serving food or taking registrations, there are lots of ways to get involved.
  5. Serve on an advisory board or committee
    • Sit on a local advisory or county governing board to help determine program priorities.
  6. Help with a specific 4-H project
    • Advise a 4-H member in their project work; help youth identify and set goals, create and implement a plan, and reflect on what they learned and would do differently next time.
  7. Assist with program delivery
    • Volunteer at an after-school program, a summer program, camp program event, or club meeting.
  8. Volunteer on a fair organizing committee
    • Volunteer at a local fair—be inspired by the talents and creativity of the next generation while promoting the country’s largest youth development organization!
    • Work in the food booth or help in the 4-H exhibit hall or at the 4-H show ring.
  9. Utilize your professional skills
    • Share your technical skills and knowledge to develop subject matter for curriculum/project sheets.
    • Assist with creating marketing tools, graphic art, Word documents, webpages, videos, online training modules, etc.
    • Intern at your local Extension office with the 4-H program, a great resume builder.
  10. Share your experiences
    • Share your hobby/passion—inspire a young person as a guest speaker or short-term instructor.
    • Share your career path—invite a 4-H’er to shadow you for the day.
    • Share your educational path/give a testimonial—how did you get to where you are? (If you are a college student—how did you choose your school, what are you pursuing, what are you aspiring to do?)

Interested in any of these opportunities? Contact your local OSU Extension office or the Ohio 4-H Foundation at ohio4hfoundation@osu.edu.