{"id":25068,"date":"2023-02-27T08:03:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T13:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/4h\/?page_id=25068"},"modified":"2023-02-27T08:09:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T13:09:09","slug":"maine-4-h-youth-council-by-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/4h\/youth\/council\/maine-4-h-youth-council-by-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine 4-H Youth Council By-Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"

Membership<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Through a Youth\/Adult Partnership, the Youth Council will be advised by 4-H Faculty and Staff.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Membership of the Council will be a two-year term.\u00a0 The selection process of a member will be as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Each County Extension will nominate two members to represent their county.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Youth must be between the ages of 14-25 as of January 1st of the current year.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Members must be enrolled in 4-H for two or more years before being nominated.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Youth may reapply to the Youth Council until reaching the age of 25 as of January 1.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. All members agree to uphold the <\/span>Code Of Conduct<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Responsibilities<\/b><\/h3>\n

    The Maine 4-H Youth Council has a few responsibilities, which can include:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Help planning state events (youth conference, state volunteer conference, in addition to others we currently have) <\/span>Provide sub-group leadership for other state events.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. Representing Maine at National events.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Offer advice and suggestions for statewide 4-H Teen programming.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Orienting new Council members to better serve on the Youth Council.<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Advising county groups of state events.<\/span><\/li>\n
    6. Creating stronger Youth\/Adult partnerships.<\/span><\/li>\n
    7. Partnering with organizations with like-minded goals to create bridges between 4-H and other organizations.<\/span><\/li>\n
    8. Thinking about ways to get kids involved in 4-H from the youth perspective.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    9. Abide by the set Group Norms and By-Laws.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Attendance and Communication\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

      Members are expected to attend at least 80% of meetings and events. It is essential that members who are unable to attend contact the Staff Mentors or Sub-committee Chairs. If you fail to notify, you will be subject to review by the Council. Members who miss two consecutive meetings (subcommittee and full meetings) will be contacted by staff\u00a0 advisors to come up with a plan regarding attendance.<\/span><\/p>\n

      **Each member must be an<\/span> active member<\/span><\/i> of at least one subcommittee. If a committee chair reports that a member is not active it is to be taken to the Executive Board for assessment. Should they see fit they have the ability to terminate the member at the one year mark of their term.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Leadership Structure<\/b><\/h3>\n

      The Youth Council will have an elected executive board consisting of the following: President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations Representative. All Officers will be sworn in during the inauguration of new members each year. Officers will hold quarterly meetings, or more often should the need arise. The Executive Board shall meet with Youth Council advisors two weeks prior to full Youth Council meetings to develop meeting agendas.\u00a0 The Council will elect its officers at the first meeting of the new 4-H year.<\/span><\/p>\n

      To be elected President-Elect, you must have served at least one year on the Youth Council and be able to serve at least two more years after inauguration. Under special circumstances, if the current President-Elect cannot finish their term, an emergency election can be held to fill the remainder of the previous President-Elect’s term.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Under special circumstances, an emergency election can be held for President. To be President, you must have served at least one year on the youth council and be able to serve one more year after inauguration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      All other officer\u2019s terms will end with the election of new officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Each Officer will have their own corresponding duties as follows (Officer Position and Duties):\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      President<\/b><\/p>\n

      The president of a club presides over meetings, builds the meeting agenda, assures that the meeting runs in an orderly manner and strives to make sure all members\u2019 opinions are heard. If committees are needed, presidents appoint committee members. The President’s original vote in any matter will be the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The president may not vote in matters of finances.\u00a0 Since the president is responsible for creating the meeting agenda, it is important they are familiar with the order of business. A typical meeting agenda would consist of:<\/span><\/p>\n