1986
4-H-683
INDIANA
4-H
LEADER
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4-H PROGRAM PLANNING
PURDUE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
Introduction
What your 4-H club does this year greatly depends on program planning. Advanced planning can direct 4-H activities throughout the year. A well planned program ensures satisfying experiences by all 4-H club members.
One of the biggest frustrations a 4-H Leader experiences is what to do with all those energetic boys and girls after they have joined the club. As a 4-H Leader, you have a responsibility to do the best job you can in planning and conducting learning experiences for your 4-H members. The learning experiences chosen should enhance or develop leadership skills, citizenship, responsibility, respect, and other desirable character traits in young people. This is no easy job! You can expose the 4-H’er to new experiences. Hopefully, these materials will help you meet the challenges of planning effective, meaningful programs for young people—our future leaders.
Get Off to a Good Start-Let’s Plan!
4-H Circular 508 Program Planning Book is devoted to planning 4-H programs. Thus, before proceeding with the actual planning of the year’s work you will need to look at this booklet. There are suggested forms and blanks available that may help you plan a meaningful program. These forms are available through your county Extension office.
A good 4-H club year just doesn’t happen! Careful planning is necessary and a very important
process in 4-H. Developing and organizing ideas into action can be done efficiently by a program planning committee. The purpose of this committee is to:
1.	collect facts
2.	analyze and evaluate facts
3.	develop a plan for the club year
4.	carry out devised plan
5.	evaluate plan effectiveness.
Planning programs is an educational experience. Through such activities young people can work with and for their fellow members.
This committee should meet as soon as possible after the new club year begins. This meeting should follow a club meeting at which all club members have a chance for input. The makeup of the committee should consist of a variety of members to ensure many different ideas and points of view. Committee members might include a junior leader, new officers, past club president, a younger club member, a parent, and the club leader. A committee may consist of 6 to 10 members.
In planning an effective club program, you and the committee will need to consider the following points:
•	Each club member should feel he has a part in decisions affecting the club.
•	Every member should get at least one specific job during the year.
•	Programs must be balanced with a variety of events.