4-H Ambassador Program

Dear 4-H Member,

We believe in the benefits that the 4-H Program provides to young people, and that, eventually, those young people want to have a way to give back to the program in a positive way. An excellent way to do this is to commit to being a 4-H Ambassador.

Please read the enclosed materials carefully to learn more about the expectations we have for 4-H Ambassadors. You would serve as a team member and share a spirit of cooperation with your teammates. If that appeals to you, please apply. If you see the team as a priority in your busy life, please apply. If you have the time to devote to Ambassadors, please apply. If you are interested in using your talents to encourage more Douglas County children to be involved in the 4-H program, please apply. If your parents support your desire to be an Ambassador, please apply.

The application process includes an interview and presenting a short speech. The topic for the speech is: “What 4-H has meant to me” or “The person who has influenced my life for the better...” Please contact a valued adult, and pass on to them the enclosed recommendation form. This is time sensitive and please alert them to your deadline. They can submit the form directly to the extension office. You should submit your completed application to the extension office by the deadline on the application form. We will contact you about the date of your interview.

Thanks again for making the best better!

Sincerely,

Sue Ashcraft, Robyn Kelso, and Matthew Kelso

4-H Ambassador Advisors

Nickie Harding

4-H Youth Development Agent
Douglas County K-State Research & Extension

Ambassador roles vary from county/district to county/district. But, in general, 4-H Ambassadors are 4-H members who promote the county 4-H program to local residents. Audiences can include 4-H’ers, school groups, civic organizations, government officials, senior citizens, business people - any individual or group interested in learning more about 4-H!

The length of a term as an Ambassador is two years. The number of Ambassadors in a county range. Most counties have a formal application and interview process to select Ambassadors Qualifications also vary from county/district to county/district. Some counties/districts have age or year-in-4-H restrictions. All county 4-H Ambassador programs require a sincere desire to promote 4-H, willingness to interact with the general public, interest in improving communication skills, willingness to speak in front of groups and a commitment of your time and energy.

Being an Ambassador has many benefits:

• Increase your knowledge of 4-H
• Improve your self-confidence
• Improve your communication skills
• Gain new leadership skills
• Become more aware of your own strengths and capabilities
• Enjoy getting others excited about 4-H

There are many 4-H messages that you will want to share with audiences:

• 4-H encourages youth to take pride in their accomplishments
• 4-H gets youth involved in service to their community
• 4-H gives you the satisfaction of working with others
• 4-H helps youth develop life skills through projects, activities and recordkeeping
• 4-H helps youth learn to be responsible
• 4-H is an organization “of” and “by” youth
• 4-H is for all youth
• 4-H prepares youth for work
• 4-H teaches youth how to communicate
• As youth work together through 4-H, they learn to listen well and speak confidently, as well as work cooperatively and develop leadership skills
• Because 4-H clubs are lead by youth, members learn about cooperation, compromise, leadership and teamwork
• Parents and their children learn together through 4-H, benefiting the entire family
• Planning, competing and exhibiting a 4-H project teaches work place skills, such as goal setting, responsibility, priority setting, timeliness and accountability

To be an Ambassador, of course, you’ll want to become as skilled as you can in areas of public speaking, news writing, radio, photography and visuals. But you’ll also need to know and understand the 4-H program so you can become an effective spokesperson.

County/District 4-H Information

You’ll need to know the county/district 4-H program well. Your county/district Extension Office can provide the important statistics about your county/district program, such as number of clubs, total number of 4-H members, number of members by age, number of 4-H families, number of adult and youth leaders, projects with top enrollments and major 4-H activities.