{"id":4592,"date":"2015-03-10T16:39:32","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T20:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/?page_id=4592"},"modified":"2025-11-24T15:08:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T20:08:52","slug":"roles-of-the-4-h-volunteer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/table-of-contents\/roles-of-the-4-h-volunteer\/","title":{"rendered":"Roles of the 4-H Volunteer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Volunteers and parents are valuable partners in the 4-H program, and their contributions can have a profound impact on the lives of 4-H members long after they reach adulthood.\u00a0The research-based, learn-by-doing 4-H model equips kids with skills such as problem solving, decision making and communicating &#8212; essential for them to succeed in school, college, careers and communities. Volunteers have a vital role to play in 4-H clubs, after-school programs, community service, civic engagement and camping programs.<\/p>\n<p>As a volunteer, you may be able to<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Teach young people in an area of personal passion<\/li>\n<li>Feel pride in making a big impact in the lives of others, youth <em>and<\/em> adults<\/li>\n<li>Develop new and current skills in teaching and in your area of interest<\/li>\n<li>Understand your community better and make a positive difference in it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are many ways to volunteer, including volunteering short-term in a SPIN club or as a trip chaperone, or longer-term volunteering such as leading an after-school or traditional club.<\/p>\n<p>Overall qualifications for a 4-H Volunteer include the abilities to<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep participants safe.<\/li>\n<li>Be intentional about providing high-quality youth development and education.<\/li>\n<li>Work cooperatively with Extension staff, youth, other volunteers, and families.<\/li>\n<li>Be guided by the <a href=\"http:\/\/nifa.usda.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/resource\/Essential_Elements.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Essential Elements of 4-H\u00a0(PDF)<\/a>, and provide educational opportunities for youth to experience Belonging, Mastery, Generosity, and Independence.<\/li>\n<li>Help young people be involved in all types of decision-making, at all ages.<\/li>\n<li>Be willing to stay informed and model life-long learning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Benefits to a 4-H Volunteer include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Watching others, grow, adapt, and learn.<\/li>\n<li>Making positive contributions to youth, families, community, and state.<\/li>\n<li>Feeling the rewards of sharing your skills, knowledge, and time.<\/li>\n<li>Being recognized by the local and\/or state 4-H program for your contributions.<\/li>\n<li>Developing lifelong friendships.<\/li>\n<li>Enhancing personal skills and\/or potential career options.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All 4-H volunteers complete an application and background check, interview with county 4-H program staff, and provide references before working directly with youth. Ongoing training is made available to volunteers.\u00a0Additional resources are available from:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umn.edu\/4-h-volunteers\/volunteer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Volunteer with 4-H (University of Minnesota Extension)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oregon.4h.oregonstate.edu\/get-involved\/become-volunteer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Become a 4-H Volunteer (Oregon State University)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2022\/05\/Roles-of-the-4-H-Volunteer.docx\" style=\"text-transform:none;\" ><span class=\"button\"> Roles of the 4-H Volunteer (Word) <\/span><\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Volunteers and parents are valuable partners in the 4-H program, and their contributions can have a profound impact on the lives of 4-H members long after they reach adulthood.\u00a0The research-based, learn-by-doing 4-H model equips kids with skills such as problem solving, decision making and communicating &#8212; essential for them to succeed in school, college, careers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":0,"parent":4580,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/page-withsidebar.php","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4592","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Amanda Miles","author_link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/author\/amiles\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4592"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21364,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4592\/revisions\/21364"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/plugged-in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}