Living/Learning Center Programs

The University of Vermont

http://www.uvm.edu/~llcenter

 

Collegiate 4-H

 

OVERVIEW:

 

In the Collegiate 4-H program, students who have been involved in the youth 4-H program will continue developing the skills that they learned at the youth level, as well as furthering their involvement in community service. Students who have not been involved in the youth 4-H program will be introduced to the same proud tradition of “Learning by Doing” that is the basis of that program. Students will learn new life and leadership skills as well as share acquired skills with others. This is in keeping with the motto of the nationwide collegiate 4-H program: “Continuing to Share – Sharing to Continue.” To foster this experience, members of Collegiate 4-H have the opportunity to attend National Conferences, assist in facilitating and participating in campus-wide events (such as the ever-popular, annual “Tropical Dance Party” and “Snow Ball”), reach out and serve the Burlington Community through involvement with Local Youth 4-H groups and beneficial cooperative projects with other community service organizations, such as the Special Olympics.

The Living/Learning Center is an ideal venue for this program because of its unique environment; by living with each other, students can exercise these skills together, on a daily basis - not only at weekly meetings. By supporting and encouraging each other, students make themselves better citizens – citizens who will be able to share their skills with the entire community.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

Each member will learn and apply leadership skills to benefit themselves, the L/L and UVM community, the Burlington community and ultimately Vermont and/or Nationwide communities.

 

ACTION STEPS:

 

  1. Members will be encouraged to be involved with youth 4-H groups as mentors, through collaborative projects and community service, while continuing to share skills an talents with the youth in a more educational scope.
  2. Facilitation and organization of  (as well as participation in) Collegiate 4-H’s campus-wide events will be strongly recommended.
  3. Promote individual endeavors (of community service/educational opportunities) that will benefit Burlington, UVM, etc.
  4. Weekly meetings (with mandatory majority attendance) will serve as the stepping-stone for development of these skills; Guest speakers, planning sessions and opportunities for educational field trips will be included.
  5. Members will be encouraged to attend the annual National Collegiate 4-H Conference to interact and learn from other Collegiate 4-H’s nationwide, in hopes of learning and applying new ideas in our own setting, as well as sharing and promoting our own strengths at a National Level.

 

Members will serve, with the mission to benefit and strengthen ties with, the surrounding communities; this will give them an opportunity to exercise leadership skills and put into practice new ideas that they have learned through 4-H.

 

ACTION STEPS:

 

A.     Members will be required to participate, annually, in the Vermont Public Television non-profit fundraiser. Donating our time to this event allows us not only Regional-wide publicity, but also a great way to additionally benefit the Burlington Community.

B.     As a group, join with other community service organizations (and/or L/L based programs) at local service events.

C.     Educate and Promote 4-H ‘values’ to the public (For example, healthy lifestyles, pursuit of self betterment, etc.).

           

Members will be encouraged to build and foster ties with youth 4-H, while encouraging pursuance of greater education, self-actualization and a healthy lifestyle.

 

ACTION STEPS:

 

A.     Members will assist with local youth 4-H events, anyway that is necessary (organization, set-up, clean-up, etc…).

B.     Members will be given the opportunity to host youth 4-H on a regional and national level, providing an introduction to the UVM campus and Vermont communities.

C.     Collegiate 4-H will promote maintained ties with each members’ local 4-H/ community and will be encouraged to include the group as a whole, whenever possible.

 

Collegiate 4-H intends to aid members in developing skills and goals that will be conducive to lifetime success.

 

ACTION STEPS:

 

A.     Members will increase their knowledge base and faculties through idea and talent sharing between members and other members as well as members and the community. This ties closely to the National 4-H slogan of “Learning by Doing.”

B.     Members will establish future career contacts and proficiencies through (mandatory) active involvement in as many Collegiate 4-H events as possible.

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE:

Due to the fact that Collegiate 4-H is largely a community service organization, most (if not all) of its events will be of the ‘community service’ venue. Such events are: The Vermont Public Television Benefit, our two annual dances to benefit the UVM community, extensive youth mentoring involvement, etc.

 

PROGRAM ADVISOR:

Sarah Kleinman, State UVM-Extension Specialist, has agreed to be our advisor.