Club Activities
Social Events - in addition to regular meetings, field trips, and special activity days, some clubs also plan social events such as potluck dinners, picnics, swimming parties, trail rides, camping and neighborhood gatherings. This website will give you information regarding upcoming activities. Read it carefully and share it with your 4-H members.
Community Service - one 4-H goal is to help members become caring citizens of their communities. Therefore, every club is encouraged to work on a community service project of its choosing. Involve youth in "real time" community service projects that make a difference in their community. Many clubs share something related to their project area with older people in retirement or nursing homes, such as taking pets for the residents to visit with, making special holiday favors, or just visiting. Some clubs work on environmental projects like cleaning up trash, planting flowers and shrubs, building and maintaining nature paths, or hosting and teaching special events for young children. While other clubs will work directly with "Habitat For Humanity"
Recognition Activity - many clubs have a special recognition activity at the end of the 4-H year, at which they acknowledge each member/leader of the group for his or her achievements during the year. Usually families and friends are invited, giving the club leader an opportunity to explain the club activities and goals.
County Activities
During the 4-H year, Pickens County will conduct activities in which leaders and members are encouraged to participate. Check the calendar of events to see what's being offered.
Workshops - Various times during the year Pickens County may schedule workshops in various project areas. Sometimes workshops are offered in Greenville, Anderson or Oconee, or on a regional or statewide basis that we may be are invited to.
Contests - During the year Pickens County will offer various contests. The winners of selected contests will be eligible to compete in the State Contests. Contests provide educational opportunities for both 4-H members and leaders.
Judging and Identification Contests - each 4-H member evaluates classes of three or four items and ranks them from the highest quality to the lowest quality. Pickens County may have judging and identification contests in livestock, horse, consumer education, wildlife, forestry, and other project areas. The 4-H member is usually asked to support his or her decisions by giving oral reasons for placing the classes.
Presentations - short, informative talks or demonstrations given by individual 4-H members (or a team of two members) on any topic they choose. They can be given first to a member's own club, then at county 4-H presentations contest. The younger the 4-H members are when they start learning to give presentations, the easier it is for them to enjoy learning this new skill. You might want to invite older 4-Hers with experience in giving presentations to help teach this skill to your club.
Exchange Programs - this could be an exchange between clubs within the same state, between states, or even international. County 4-H'ers over the years, have had a GREAT time visiting other states.
Ribbon awards - usually given in 4-H contests and at fairs. In 4-H, exhibits are judged against a predetermined skill level standard, rather than against other exhibits or contestants. Each exhibit receives a blue, red, or white ribbon based on the following criteria:
- Blue ribbon: excellent, within the ability of most of the contestants.
- Red ribbon: good quality, some room for improvement.
- White ribbon: acceptable, but shows need for considerable improvement.
4-H Camps - Each year Pickens County is eligible to attend Summer Camp, usually in June or July. For many youth, 4-H camp is one of the highlights of the year. Besides adventure and fun, camps offer arts and crafts, nature study, drama and performing arts, ecology, and other areas of interest that can be taught in an informal setting. Campers learn to get along with others, to take responsibility and to learn health and safety practices.
Awards Night - is held to recognize the accomplishments of members and leaders. It is usually held in March.
State 4-H Activities
(See the State 4-H Calendar of Events for what Activities and Contests are offered.)
General information about the various state contest that are conducted in SC can be found following this link.
National 4-H Week - the first full week of each October. Promotes 4-H youth, adults and clubs, while recognizing businesses and organizations who support 4-H in their communities.
Citizenship Washington Focus: 4-H members, ages 15 to 19, have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. for one week during the summer. They stay at the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland while participating in citizenship programs and touring the city.
State Winners Eligible for National Competition
National 4-H Congress - Outstanding 4-H members from all over the nation are honored and recognized at annual 4-H Congress. South Carolina delegates are selected by being a State Winner in their project area. 4-H Congress is held in late November in Atlanta, Georgia.
National 4-H Conference - South Carolina can send four 4-H'ers to this conference. See the State 4-H Website for details. 4-H'ers spend ten days in our nation's capitol meeting with other 4-Hers from across the U.S., developing recommendations for future 4-H programming. They will also spend at least one day on Capitol Hill.There are many more National Events that South Carolina 4-H'ers have the opportunity to participate in. Some Events are competitive and others are not. See the State 4-H Calendar for more information.
International opportunities
The current mission of the 4-H International Program is to further cross-cultural understanding and international development through the study and exchange of human and technical resources. 4-H members and their families have many opportunities for cross-cultural experiences.
4-H families can host international exchanges involved with youth groups similar to 4-H in countries throughout the world. 4-H members can also travel to others countries for varying lengths of time. Contact the State 4-H Office for more information.
As you can see, there are many activities for your 4-H members to choose from. Encourage your members to participate in as many activities as possible. The more they participate, the more they will gain from their 4-H experience.
