4-H clubs work on projects, compete in the Fair, and submit project books. But one important part of 4-H is service learning.

Service learning

Service learning is different than community service. Service learning allows youth to learn something while serving their community. Often it is linked to the project 4-H youth are working on, so it enhances their learning experience and provides opportunity for them to teach others from their own personal experience. In 2019 and early 2020 Broward 4-H clubs excelled at service learning. This is in part due to the Florida 4-H Community Pride grant.

Community Pride Grant

Florida 4-H is the parent program of Broward County 4-H and offers many events and resources of support. One of those is the Community Pride grant. Youth 4-H members identified a community need, made a budget, and wrote a grant proposal for how they would accomplish their goals to serve their community. An impressive five Broward 4-H clubs were awarded a pride grant. Due to COVID-19, not all grants were able to be completed to date and all projects detailed were done before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Wondrous Wildlife STEM night

The Wondrous Wildlife club hosted a STEM night at Peters Elementary School. The club members designed stations for the elementary school students to visit

and learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This involved the club members making a budget, finding supplies and activities, advertising the event, and leading the science stations. It was attended by over 200 youth and their families. All attendees provided fantastic reviews!

The Glades Animal Garden

The Glades 4-H Club built a vegetable garden at Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital. The club members knew there was a need to feed the rescue animals healthy, fresh vegetables. The garden will continue to provide fresh food for the rescue animals for years to come.

Dream It, Style It, Make It butterfly garden

Dream It, Style It, Make It saw a need to encourage residents of an assisted living facility. They decorated and planted pollinator plants, and created virtual education, on the importance of pollinators. The residents find cheer and joy from the flowers and critters that visit the plants.

Project Stable vegetable garden

Project Stable installed a vegetable garden to help support new moms in need. The vegetable garden will help provide fresh, healthy food to feed these young families.

Sunshine Gators

The Sunshine Gators club aimed to improve a local pollinator garden that works with special needs youth. However, due to COVID-19 and physical distancing restrictions, this project has been paused. The Sunshine Gators club has an impressive record of service learning, including winning the top Community Pride grant award in Florida 4-H for their work educating elementary school students about pollinators.

Congratulations, and thank you, to all of our participating clubs!

Florida 4-H provides more documents on the pride grant here. Club leaders can visit Florida 4-H to learn more about applying for the 2021 year.

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