4-H Club meetings play a very important part of the 4-H experience. During 4-H meetings, club members have the opportunity to gain knowledge, learn new skills such as leadership and management, share ideas, make friends, and build a network of support for now and in the future while being advised and supported by trained and screened adults.

Club meetings provide an opportunity for the group as a whole to make plans, learn, and have fun together.  Within a 4-H club, youth will have equal voice and vote on matters at hand but having a successful 4-H club starts with the officer team being empowered by the club leader(s) to take the lead. By allowing youth to lead club meetings, we are growing true leaders starting at the club level.

Club officers are elected by the club’s members to plan and run club meetings.  Club officers must take this role seriously and have a in-depth understanding of what the role requires. Once club officers understand their duties, a club leader should meet with the officers to plan the agenda for the club meeting.

The Club Leader should work with the club officers to create an agenda that allows enough time to cover each item or topic on the agenda during the club meeting. The club Leader should also help them determine who is responsible for each item on the agenda including who will lead the pledges. It is important to remember that a club meeting should be broken up as follows:  ½ educational, ¼ business, ¼ recreation.  Club Leaders should assist youth in determining what activities will be used within each portion of the meeting but give the officers the ultimate decision and ownership over the meeting. A sample meeting agenda would include the following:

• Call to Order
• Pledge of Allegiance/4-H Pledge
• Roll Call
• Icebreaker
• Secretary’s Report
• Treasurer’s Report
• Committee Reports (If there are any)
• Old Business
• New Business
• Information about the next meeting
• Adjourn business meeting
• Educational Program
• Recreation (Games/Snacks)

Once youth have created the agenda, they will work together as an officer team to conduct a club meeting with members. They should utilize parliamentary procedure and hold a meeting where all members have an equal voice to make a difference in their club, community, country, and world by participating in discussing and voting on all club business.

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