Leadership & Community Projects
Leadership & Community Projects
Additional Resources & Opportunities:
Discover what is important to you and others, set goals, take action, and build a stronger community. Through this project, you can become an active community member, investigate a public issue, learn about the roles of governing officials, and carry out a plan to solve a problem.
- Beginner: Learn about issues that face your community and ways to make group decisions.
- Intermediate: Write a goal and action plan for a community problem.
- Advanced: Lead an action plan and find ways to celebrate successes.
Learning opportunities: Take part in state and national leadership conferences such as Youth as Partners in Civic Leadership, Summer Academy, Citizenship Washington Focus, National 4-H Conference, and National 4-H Congress.
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Cloverbud
Cloverbud project activities involve youth in grades K-2 in learning at an age-appropriate level while having fun with hands-on, engaging activities. It’s their chance to explore what 4-H has to offer. The Cloverbud project offers a variety of activities that may include:
- Exploring their creative side with theater and visual arts;
- Diving into animal and plant science;
- Learning about themselves and others;
- Giving back to their communities through service projects;
- and more!
Learning opportunities: Attend a Cloverbud Camp in your community. Take part in face-to-face judging at the county fair.
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Communication is all about how we connect with others. That might be through listening, sharing information, telling stories, or giving a speech, American Sign Language (ASL) and other languages, giving a presentation or demonstration, writing, or body language.
- Beginner: Practice basic communication skills and learn how you like to communicate.
- Intermediate: Explore different communication methods, from social media to press releases.
- Advanced: Choose from activities such as learning ASL, resume writing, or digital storytelling.
Learning opportunities: Record and edit a video that tells a story. Create a poster analyzing advertisements. Join the 4-H COMM Team.
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In 4-H, we pledge our “hands to larger service.” Community service is an essential part of 4-H clubs and groups. Service learning goes deeper by bringing together community needs, knowledge, and time to reflect. Youth may choose community service as their project focus, or it could be an activity they help with in other club or project spaces.
- Beginner: Take part in community service projects in the club or community.
- Intermediate: Get involved in a bigger service project and/or take on a leadership role in the project.
- Advanced: Lead or help plan a service project that involves other youth and adult volunteers.
Learning opportunities: Survey or interview community members to learn more about them. Ask a non-profit organization how you can support them. Plan and conduct a local community service project with help from your 4-H club or group members.
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This project is designed for first-year members of any age to learn about the many 4-H project areas or as a stepping stone from Cloverbud to other projects. Explorers complete a mini-project, learn about your club, and involve your family and friends in 4-H. Exploring is a beginner project designed to be a way to:
- Sample some projects offered in 4-H;
- Learn the 4-H pledge and motto;
- Lead your family or friends in a fun activity; and more!
Learning opportunities: Help your club or group with a community service project. Attend project workshops for different project areas to try something new.
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- Wisconsin 4-H Exploring Project Resources
Lessons on global citizenship are as close by as your local grocery store, library, highway, or school. In this project, you’ll gain self-awareness, explore the beliefs and views of others, and develop skills for talking with people who are different from yourself.
- Beginner: Choose a place or culture you are interested in. Explore its climate, music, food, language, and more. What do you want to know?
- Intermediate: Sign up to get a pen pal. What can you learn about yourself as you write letters or emails?
- Advanced: Plan a fictional trip to learn more. What would you do? Where would you go?
Learning opportunities: Create a poster about the state or country you studied. Teach others about the place or culture.
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Finding out about family history can be like going on a treasure hunt. Heritage is the history of a family, including the traditions, customs, foods, and more passed from one generation to the next.
- Beginner: Create a family tree and heredity chart for your family.
- Intermediate: Learn to conduct research into your family history from different sources.
- Advanced: Interview family members to gather more details and connect historical places and events.
Learning opportunities: Make a scrapbook for your family. Do a presentation about what you learned. Visit a museum or special event to learn more about your family’s history.
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Do you know someone from another generation? Who are they? What do they care about? The Intergenerational project is your chance to connect with an older adult and make a difference in their life while they make a difference in yours.
- Beginner: Spend time with an elder in your family or neighborhood.
- Intermediate: List things you can do and where you might safely meet older adults.
- Advanced: Plan and lead an intergenerational event for a group.
Learning opportunities: Visit and play games at a senior center. Interview an older adult. Record an elder’s story with their permission.
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In these changing times, youth must prepare for careers and jobs that don’t currently exist. Young people will need well-rounded skills to apply to any career and a willingness to learn about and try exciting new careers. This project will help equip youth with the soft skills to apply and interview for their first job during and after high school.
- Beginner: Learn about teamwork, decision-making, and time management skills.
- Intermediate: Explore careers and entrepreneurship options through job shadowing, research, and/or interviews.
- Advanced: Prepare the materials you need to apply for your first job and/or college.
Learning opportunities: Attend the 4-H Summer Academy with learning tracks to explore college and career options. Visit a career fair. Attend the Youth as Partners in Civic Leadership Conference.
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Youth of any age can learn to be leaders—in their club, community, country, and world. In this project, you can build teamwork, communication, organization, goal management, meeting management, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
- Beginner: Set a goal and work to achieve it.
- Intermediate: Teach others how to do something you love or help plan a service project.
- Advanced: Take on a leadership role in your club or community.
Learning opportunities: Become a youth leader in another project area. Attend a board or committee meeting to see how they make decisions. Become a 4-H club officer. Participate in statewide 4-H youth leadership through Fall Forum, Wisconsin 4-H Leadership Council, or Collegiate 4-H.
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- Wisconsin 4-H Leadership Project Resources
- Contact Tracy at tracy.keifenheim@wisc.edu to sign up to be a youth leader at a Cloverbud Day Camp
- Fond du Lac County Club Leadership
- Awesome Club Officer Workshop
