- Author: Marianne Bird
4-H volunteers can sometimes feel discouraged as they struggle to find help in their clubs or projects. At the root of their disheartened spirit is sensing they are alone in doing a big job. This may lead to feeling unappreciated and, most certainly, tired. Where is help when you need it?
Everyone is busy these days, and time is a treasured and protected commodity. Yet in my years of collaborating with volunteers I've found most people are willing to help if they know what needs to be done, if they feel that they can do it, and if they are asked. Those successful in recruiting adults recognize that they are not simply asking for assistance, they are offering opportunity: an opportunity to connect, to share, to be appreciated. Here are some pointers to foster involvement.
Know what you need: Be specific and clear about the job to be done so people know what is expected and can better judge if it's something they can help with. If you need a driver for a field trip next Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00, say so. For larger jobs, create a brief description outlining the tasks to be done, the skills required, and the approximate time it will take. The more specific you are in describing the job, the better equipped you are to recruit.
Build a sense of community in your group: Our most successful clubs and projects enjoy a sense of connection. Learn about the adults in your group—their interests, time constraints, skills and what they enjoy. Not everyone can give the same thing, and knowing folks makes it easier to ask them to volunteer. It also makes it easier for them to accept the invitation to help.
Identify who would be best for the task: It's easy to fall into the “warm body syndrome,” the “we need someone so anyone will do” mindset. The job you are recruiting for is an important one and shouldn't be filled by just anybody. For one thing, they may not be happy in it. For another, they may not do such a good job (and that will mean even more work for you). Inventory what qualities you're looking for in the person you seek. When recruiting an enrollment coordinator, do they need computer skills? Availability at club meetings? Accessibility by phone? Someone detailed oriented with good follow through? Then seek someone who fits the bill!
Ask: This doesn't mean standing in front of the group and saying, “We need someone to coordinate our club service project. Please see me afterward if you're interested.” Once you have identified who would be best in the job, speak to them personally. Tell them what you're seeking, and why you're asking them. They need to know the reason you think they're the right person to fill the role. Then give them time to consider.
Remember to thank: This goes without saying and is easy to do with notes and calls and public acknowledgement.
Making a good match with volunteers and the tasks at hand is the key to finding the help you need. Fitting the right person in the job means the work will be done well and those helping will feel a sense of fulfillment.
- Author: Marianne Bird
Of all the heartache and disappointment the pandemic dealt last year, letting go of camp was one of the most difficult for me. In February, 4-H decided statewide to forego resident camp programs again this summer. However, Sacramento County 4-H will provide a local day camp experience that promises a rich, fun learning experience. We're hoping campers are waiting!
In my youth development career—first with Camp Fire and now with 4-H—I have seen camp's power to change lives and inspire a better world. It's the best place for kids to learn independence yet how to live in community; to foster discovery and awe; to understand and value nature; to know themselves and respect differences in others; to grow in teamwork, responsibility and leadership. These things are not unique to resident camp; they happen for day campers, too.
Day camp is not a consolation prize because we lost our overnight camp experience. Day camp is its own unique program that offers opportunity and growth in its own right. Yes, we send campers back home (dirty, tired and happy) at the end of each day, and you rest them, clean them up and send them back for another day of adventure. Sometimes this is a perfect way for youth who might not attend overnight camp (because of other commitments, or they're not quite ready to leave home for a week, or their parents aren't ready to have them leave home!) to realize the benefits of camp.
4-H day camp will contain the elements that make camp a special and unique learning environment. Kids will bond with other campers and the teenage staff they adore. They'll experience making decisions and living within a small group, the importance of speaking up and of compromise. They'll learn more about the natural world through hands-on activities, guest presenters, and the open outdoors. And some will feel challenged in new ways…and the pride that comes with mastering things that are difficult.
Sacramento's 4-H day camp will run June 22-24 at River Bend Park. For further detail, contact Sacramento County 4-H at Sacramento4h@ucanr.edu. Please consider this opportunity for your child. Talk it over with them. See if they have a friend who might want to come, too. They need not be a current 4-H member. And rest assured, every precaution is taken to assure the experience is safe, especially during COVID-19.
Camp gave me my love for the wilderness, the passion I feel for my work, and forever friends. And for me, it all started at day camp.
- Author: Marianne Bird
It's been almost four months since the coronavirus transformed our communities and created changes that, just last February, we would never have dreamed possible. The shutting down and now gradual re-opening of where we work, shop, live and play has affected all of us in different ways. Some have lost jobs. Others work from home amidst supervising children and schoolwork. As someone who lives by herself, I've felt tremendous loneliness and loss as I've missed my family and had to let go of the weekends I would have been at camp leading 4-H programs.
While 4-H On the Wild Side didn't happen at Camp Gold Hollow this spring, it did take place in a virtual format. Seven teens and two adult volunteers created and delivered an environmental education lesson for 4th grade classes in Elk Grove. It was in working with this dedicated group, and interacting with the elementary school students and their teachers, that I realized how the epidemic has impacted our youth. Never, in all my years in the field, have I worked with teenagers so available and eager to meet, to plan, to deliver. Never have classroom teachers been so eager to include 4-H programming in their day. And never have I been so convinced of how much 4-H is needed.
What is it our kids need at this point in time? They need to feel empowered to affect their own lives and their community. They need to feel accomplished and a sense of mastery, to see their skills grow. They need connection with their peers, to work with others and feel comradery. And now, more than ever, our youth need trusted adults to coach, to listen, to support, to care. They need you.
In the coming weeks we'll be releasing protocols for safe, in person 4-H meetings. For those of you who will choose to meet with project members in person, the guidelines are straight forward and fairly easy to implement in many project areas. For those of you who are parents and deciding if your child will attend in person project meetings, I would invite you to review the protocols and talk with those adults who will lead the project to better understand their plan.
If a virtual format works for your project, we'll support that, too. We plan to offer training on making online learning engaging and experiential, key components to any quality 4-H program. I learned first-hand that a virtual experience can be very meaningful as one of our 4-H On the Wild Side teen teachers shared. “Having this online project this year helped me stay productive with these shifts in life, and it is going to do so much to engage the students in their classrooms,” she wrote in an email. “I will continuously say thank you for these past three years in being a part of this family.”
Kids seek meaningful experiences, especially now, and it's what we do so well. So thank you for your willingness, the creative energy and extra time you give to make things work for our youth. Jen, Beryl and I are here to support you in whatever you need to move forward. We appreciate you very, very much.
[In case you missed it on Big Dig Day! Just our way to say Thanks...https://youtu.be/2mJlHze50wc]
Marianne Bird
4-H Youth Development Advisor
