Table of Contents

• Why Do You Love 4-H?

• Honoring the Past

 

Clover Corner News

 

Dear 4-H Educators, Members, Volunteers and Parents,
 
Recently I attended a workshop on campus about student groups and liability and risk. A great deal of time was spent talking about folks doing things outside of policy, normal practice, or due to ignorance. I was reminded that we have many new staff who can not be expected to know all the rules and polices of 4-H, so I decided to start putting some updates in the newsletter as a way to inform or remind us all of some things that could be potential problems.

I have elected to highlight Cloverbuds first because it is show season, and many zealous parents get excited about putting their kids in the show ring. There are several reason why MOST kids under nine are not ready for competitive events. Aside from possible physical limitations of some pre-nine-year-olds, there are psychological issues. Research indicates many youth leave organized sports and other programs because they do not enjoy the competition. Many have bad experiences because they have a hard time separating themselves, personally, from a last place finish for their team or animal. They see themselves and the animals as the same. The mentality is that if my lamb was not a winner, then neither am I.

These are just some of the reasons why the traditional 4-H program is designed for 9-19 year olds. In Oklahoma, Cloverbud membership is granted to children five-years old through third grade. The Cloverbud program is family-oriented and non-competitive.  Due to the developmental skills of this age group, Cloverbud members are not permitted to participate in events where they or their projects are compared or judged against their peers. Fund-raising by Cloverbuds is inappropriate. Cloverbud members may participate in non-competitive activities on a local or county/unit basis as deemed appropriate by the OSU Extension Staff and Parent/Volunteer Council.  District and state activities will not be provided for Cloverbuds. It is important for staff and volunteers to know and remember that for some projects and all competitive events, the 4-H activity insurance will not provide coverage for Cloverbud members. This statement essentially means that when staff, paid or volunteer, create situations that are contrary to this policy they are doing so beyond the scope of their duty and likely are assuming all risk and liability in the event of an accident or litigation.

Once Cloverbuds complete the third grade they can transition into competitive 4-H programs; however, to show at the state fairs in the fall they must be nine by July 1 and have an enrollment card on file in the county office.

Why Do You Love 4-H?

As we work to promote the Oklahoma 4-H Program, we want to know what youth across the state love about 4-H. We are compiling a list of the "Top 10 Reasons to Join 4-H." Who is better qualified to tell us than the youth who make up Oklahoma 4-H?

We also want to hear from the volunteers who give of their time and talents. What are the "Top 10 Reasons to be a 4-H Volunteer?"

Ask your volunteers and 4-H’ers to send their “Top 10” (or at least Top 1) to kellie.strawn@okstate.edu.

 

Kellie Strawn

Honoring the Past

As part of the upcoming Oklahoma 4-H Centennial Celebration, we want to honor some of our first 4-H members. Do you know of alumni who were members in the early days of Oklahoma 4-H? If you have information about individuals or 4-H families who we can feature in Oklahoma 4-H publications, please send their names, contact information, and a brief bio to kellie.strawn@okstate.edu.

Kellie Strawn