The 4-H County Club Day Experience
Nickie Harding, 4-H Youth Development Agent
Grab your poster, pick up your sheet music, don’t forget your script, and make sure to wear your 4-H t-shirt! These are the words you might hear in a 4-H household as they prepare to get out the door to showcase the skills and talents of 4-H’ers at 4-H Club Day.
The goals and purpose of 4-H Club Day are to demonstrate the benefits and opportunities provided through 4-H by showcasing the 4-H’ers themselves. Club Day offers 4-Hers an opportunity to learn skills and gain confidence in their abilities to exercise parliamentary procedure, speak effectively, and give creative performances in the arts. Presentations offered at Club Day, allow 4-Hers the opportunity to participate as individuals, as a group, or even as a club unit. 
The primary purpose of parliamentary presentations is to further the knowledge of parliamentary procedure, which is a core purpose relatively unique to 4-H. Parliamentary procedure help 4-Hers lead and participate in effective meetings which is a skill that carries over into their school involvements and then into adulthood.
Public presentations offer an opportunity to further speaking skills, a main objective of the 4-H program. Public presentations help 4-Hers learn to communicate effectively and comfortably with an audience of all ages. The focus is on oral presentation skills, not on performance or staging skills. Participants may be working to develop skills in effective persuasion or just be enthusiastic about sharing their interests with others.
Talent presentations help further 4-H'ers confidence in working in front of an audience and encourage the growth of skills in the performing arts. This category encompasses music, drama, and dance skills with a focus on performance skills including piece selection, performing, staging, and costuming.
Recognition is an important piece of the 4-H Club Day experience. Ribbons are awarded to participants by comparing their performance against a standard of excellence system and positive feedback provided by individuals judging the events. This feedback helps our 4-Hers grow and fine-tune their skills as they continue to advance in their abilities and grow their confidence.
We are thankful for all our youth and volunteers that make Club Day special. From judges to room monitors, and everything in-between, Club Day would not be possible without the support of our youth and volunteers.
You can view details about the County Club Day experience at: https://www.douglas.k-state.edu/4-h/4-hclubdays.html or contact Nickie Harding, 4-H Douglas County Youth Development Agent at nharding@ksu.edu.
