WHY COLLEGIATE 4-H?

Collegiate 4-H is about volunteerism. The exciting component of this volunteerism is the potential leadership development dimension for 18-25 year olds. You have many opportunities as an advisor to nurture the leadership experiences.

A second and vital dimension of Collegiate 4-H is the development of the individual. Your role as advisor is to enhance and coach young volunteers in finding recognition for self esteem enhancement, building friendship relationships, balancing Collegiate 4-H activities with academics, encouraging youth to reach leadership potential and the building of communication networks and skills.

The question of "Why Collegiate 4-H" builds on the philosophy that each of us is in a continual process of "Becoming The Me I Want To Be," though striving, yet never fully arriving. Collegiate 4-H provides another dimension to life and an alternative to academic pursuits.

Collegiate 4-H is an extension of the 4-H movement, visible in most communities today. Participants should be viewed as yesterday's 4-H members making the transition toward tomorrow's 4-H young adult leadership. (Note, it is not necessary to have been a former 4-H'er to be an active Collegiate 4-H'er.) Within this structure, advisors should be sensitive to the volunteer career path most students undergo. The four stages of 4-H career path at college might be:

1.To Know

College youth work hard at feeling good about one's self in a group setting; learning that to err is human; noting that the world about has lots of room for shy as well as bold personalities, and that everyone can make a difference in enhancing the lives of others.

2.To Grow

Persons who know the basics, enjoy gaining new skills to increase effectiveness in group settings; noting that another collegiate member has skills you want to learn; learning that new techniques can enhance volunteer nurturing skills; and feeling the excitement of being in leadership positions to keep activities and actions growing.

3.Believe and Practice

College youth enjoy becoming part of the group. These young adults decide to work collectively. Maybe it's a food stand fund raiser, a community service blood mobile, a presentation clinic for younger 4-H'ers or judging at county and/or district shows in your subject area.

4.Advocates

There are members who have arrived at the top plateau of 4-H knowledge and skills, and feel a need to share some of the things they have learned. An advocate is one who believes 4-H made a difference in their life. They want everyone to "Seek and Find" other young persons to enroll in 4-H or they want adults to volunteer for similar kinds of growth experiences.

Goals of Collegiate 4-H

Typically, Collegiate 4-H has four goals. Simply stated these are:

1. Develop the person,
2. Leadership skill development in group settings,
3. Service to 4-H, and
4. Social interaction.

Visit the National Collegiate 4-H Website for more information: http://www.collegiate4h.org/