By Mimi Powers and Cristophi Hogan
As San Bruno’s Co-Club Community Leaders, we attended the State 4-H Volunteer Retreat at Asilomar, near Monterey. The theme of the retreat was “e4” which stands for the four areas of opportunity the retreat had to offer:
(1) Engaging with other 4-H leaders and volunteers;
(2) Energizing volunteers through the calm, rejuvenating atmosphere at Asilomar, CA;
(3) Equipping volunteers with new skills through workshops and speaker sessions; and finally,
(4) Empowering us to return to our clubs with new ideas for our youth members and community as a whole.
While at the retreat, we were able to choose from a variety of workshops on many helpful topics. These included mindfulness, building a volunteer team to share club responsibilities, CPR, finding your spark in service projects, building a college readiness project, and recruiting and retaining club members.
Some sessions were practical/hands-on trainings that taught skills through actually doing activities that could be brought back to our own clubs. Others were more traditional, educational lectures teaching club management or other skills. All were quite interesting and helpful. And of course there was plenty of time for rest and relaxation, including a guided walk of the nearby beach and tidepools, an evening social with hot chocolate and s’mores fixings.
Just as useful as the workshop content was the opportunity to simply talk and network with the other attendees from across California. Whether at breakfast, during a break in workshops, or during a specific networking session, we were able to learn a great deal about other 4-H clubs in California, what problems and successes they have faced, and how they are meeting various challenges. This information sharing was by far my favorite aspect of the retreat.
This is a yearly event, but enrollment was down a bit this year. It is open to all 4-H volunteers, so please consider attending next year, whether you’re a new or seasoned club volunteer.
We came back refreshed and full of new ideas to bring to our San Bruno 4-H club. Over the next few months, we expect our members will notice a few fun changes during meetings and around the clubhouse!