4-H Member and Volunteer Resources

Forms must be downloaded to be electronically signed with Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat.

Clubs

Codes of Conduct

Media Releases

Safety

Scholarships

Visit the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation for all current scholarships and documents (tractor supply)

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• Club Chartering and Financial Management Guide
• Club Officers Manual
• Family Guide
• How to 4-H: The Great 8 Pathways to Participation
• President & Vice President Handbook
• Secretary Handbook
• Treasurer Handbook
• Youth for the Quality Care of Animals
• Volunteer and Risk Management Guide

Record books are an essential part of the 4-H experience as they encourage you to set goals, track project accomplishments and reflect on how far you've come during the 4-H year. Learn more about the process by reading Turning 4-H Project Experience into Master: 4-H Record Books. The books also are how Arizona 4-H chooses its delegates to send to the National 4-H Congress.

• Member Guide for Completing 4-H Records
• 4-H Project Record
• 4-H Member's Record

Project records are what have traditionally been used to qualify a youth member to attend National 4-H Congress every year.  Youth are judged on their member record books—a compilation of all their project records—with a particular focus on their last three years of completed 4-H projects.  This process typically occurred during the summer months, which allowed the member records books to be judged with time to select delegates and prepare for National 4-H Congress, which is held in November of every year.

• Arizona 4-H Member Record Evaluation Guide

  Document

  Arizona 4-H Member Record Evaluation Rubric
• National Congress Record Book Cover sheet

Contact you local Cooperative Extension office to learn more about deadlines and requirements to apply for National 4-H Congress.

• National 4-H Branding Guidelines
• National 4-H Marketing Resources
• Document

  Arizona 4-H Branding Guidelines
• University of Arizona Brand Guide
• Social Media Profile Images
• 4-H Cooperative Extension Logo
• 4-H graphic elements

Brand Language

• Tagline: 4-H GROWS HERE
• Our identity: Arizona 4-H is the youth development organization of the University of Arizona by way of Cooperative Extension.
• Brand promise: Connecting youth to hands-on learning and mentorship so they are ready for whatever their future holds.
• Our purpose: Each day AZ 4-H strives to provide more opportunities for youth by continuing to build a timeless program in conjunction with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.

Learn more about the 4-H motto, creed and pledge

 

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Using the 4-H Emblem

The official emblem is green with white H's - the 4-H colors. The white symbolizes purity. The green represents nature's most common color and is emblematic of youth, life and growth. The 4-H flag consists of a green, four-leaf, stemmed clover on a white background. The clover has a letter “H” in white or metallic gold on each leaf. The H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health.

Use of 4-H Colors, Symbols and Emblem:

• The use of 4-H symbols is optional. However, if 4-H symbols are used to publicize events or represent activities as official 4-H functions, their use must conform to certain regulations. Visit the National 4-H website for more information.
• Suspected violations in the use of the 4-H name or emblem should be reported to the UCCE county director at the county level. Violations that extend beyond one county or a multi-county partnership should be reported to the Associate Director of 4-H Program and Policy.

These videos are designed to help new or experienced 4-H volunteers with common topics of interest.

YouTube playlist

Eligibility and Enrollment

Age Requirements: 4‑H is open to all youth between age 5 and 18, regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, political beliefs, and marital or family status.

Special Needs/Disabilities: 4‑H programs can be designed to consider the needs of participants with special needs/disabilities. Families should request accommodations by contacting their county-based 4-H youth development professional.

Enrollment Requirement: Youth participating in a series of 4‑H experiences must be enrolled in a 4‑H club in the 4‑H membership management system prior to participating. Arizona 4‑H does not permit independent membership. Youth who are not enrolled may not participate in 4‑H competitions or any overnight activities including camps, conferences, etc.

Enrollment Period: The Arizona 4‑H program year is October 1 through September 30. New youth members may enroll in 4‑H at any time but ideally should enroll between October 1 and December 31. Members who were enrolled in the previous year should re-enroll between October 1 and December 31. Adult volunteers must be enrolled and active in the 4‑H membership management system in order to participate as a volunteer. Events, such as the county fair and certain project areas may have specific enrollment deadlines set by the county or external organizations that must be met for participation.

Competition and Contests

Competition in 4-H

Age appropriate participation and competition is based on current research and national 4‑H policy. With this framework in mind, 4‑H competition is aimed at assessing youths progress towards mastery and emphasizes their reflection on personal skill development in the project.

Focusing on winning the competition and not on developing the youth can lead caring adults to overlook the 4‑H mission. 4-H competition is focused on the principles of experiential learning (e.g. learning by doing; Do. Reflect. Apply). In all 4‑H project work youths should do their own work. Caring adults and older youths should provide developmentally appropriate support. In Arizona, 4‑H youth may participate in county-level, state-level, and national-level competitions. Often, a youth will need to qualify at one level in order to progress to the next level.

County-Level Eligibility

County-based 4‑H youth development professionals are responsible for verifying that members are enrolled in 4-H, have met all eligibility requirements (see individual contest rules for details about each Arizona 4‑H state contest), and that they are members in good standing prior to approving a member’s registration for a state-level contest. Youth participating in a 4-H competition must be enrolled in a 4‑H club in the 4‑H membership management system prior to participating.

National-Level Eligibility

All national 4‑H competitive programs and events require state qualification for eligibility to represent Arizona 4‑H at the national level. All Arizona 4‑H competitive programs, contests, and event teams/individuals will be selected based on the criteria set forth in this handbook. Arizona 4‑H qualifiers for national events are determined by the Arizona 4‑H director.

The Western National Roundup is the official national contest for winning competitive teams in Arizona. All registrations will be coordinated by the Arizona 4‑H office.

1. State 4‐H contestant(s) or team(s) must be selected by a recognized Arizona 4‑H process and be certified as the official state entry by the Arizona 4‑H director. The individual(s) or teams(s) may be selected by any procedure Arizona 4‑H director believes is appropriate.
2. All contestants must be enrolled members of 4‐H.
3. Individual team members must be a minimum of 4‑H age 14 at the time of the qualifying event and must not have reached their 19th birthday as of January 1 of the year in which they qualified for the Western National Roundup event.
4. All contestants must meet the “good standing” requirements set forth by their county 4‑H program as well as all contest eligibility requirements. Prior to confirming their registration, county-based 4‑H youth development professionals are responsible for verifying that participants have met good standing requirements for their county and have met the contest eligibility requirements.
5. Contestants cannot have participated in post-secondary (college-level) coursework in the subject area of the participating national competitive event, nor can they participate in post-secondary competition in the subject area of the national 4‑H competition.
6. Please see specific national contest websites for most current requirements and rules.

Replacing county team event members: If a team member (composed of members from one county) cannot attend the national contest, a replacement may be made by the county-based 4‑H youth development professional in coordination with the Arizona 4‑H office. One team member may be replaced on a team. The replacement team member must have gone through a county elimination and have participated in the state qualifying event. Under no circumstances may two members be replaced as that would not be considered the same team that won the state event. Each team member must be enrolled in the county they are representing in the national contest. National contest eligibility is determined by the rules of the specific contest. 

Replacing designated individual team event members: Replacing Team Members for Designated Individual Team Events If a team member (composed of top qualifying individuals) cannot attend the national contest, a replacement may be made by the Arizona 4‑H director. The replacement team member will be the next eligible top senior individual from the qualifying event.

Open & Pee-Wee shows/non 4‑H competitive events

Participation is encouraged in other organizational activities outside of 4‑H. However, it is not appropriate to identify other organizational activities as 4‑H. Field days, fairs, livestock and horse shows, and other events not promoted or identified as 4‑H and not identifying University of Arizona Cooperative Extension as the sponsor are not classified as 4‑H events. 4‑H assumes no responsibility for these events. County and state-level 4‑H rules may not apply at open shows/non-4‑H competitive events and vice versa. At no time will a 4‑H event allow for a Pee Wee Show. Progress/Prospect/Jackpot shows should follow certain guidelines to be considered a 4‑H event. For more information, consult your county-based 4-H.