Ohio 4-H Youth Development
OSU Extension
A 4-H Fan's Pledge

We Pledge to:

GUIDE our member down the 4-H road no matter how bumpy,
LIFT them up to meet the challenges along the way.

LEAD by example… being a good sport,
SUPPORT in actions not just words.

SHARE our skills, knowledge and talents to,
SHOW “how to”, but not do the project!

CHEER at home, during club meetings and in the 4-H stands,
APPLAUD the effort, progress and achievements.

EASE the pain of disappointment,
ENCOURAGE through focus on fun, friends, and learning to “Make the Best Better”

SHOUT how 4-H is our Family’s Affair,
HELP others catch the 4-H Spirit and join us as a 4-H FAN!

by Patty House

4-H...A Family Fan Affair

Who Supports Your 4-H Club Team?

Mom and Daughter with Ribbon

Strong fan support helps teams try harder, perform better, and sometimes even exceed expectations. Coaches and players know when their fans are behind them…they see and hear it in the stands and experience it through conversations on the way home. Support from parents, guardians, siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles and other significant adults and peers can make a difference in player’s performance including your 4-H club members. We use the words parent or guardian interchangeably to describe a member’s primary fan.

Do your 4-H club fans attend club meetings, help with activities, and support member project experiences? Or Are your fans absent from their member’s 4-H playing field? Learn how to encourage your 4-H families to be more than spectators and help you while “Making the Best Better” for their children.

How Can You Develop Supporting 4-H Fans?

Can you see, hear and feel your players' 4-H fan support?

First, understand the roles fan’s play in a member’s 4-H experience and then develop a plan for their successful involvement. Minimize activities, where fans live out the 4-H experience, instead of the member. Particularly, parents/guardians have good intentions, but may prevent their child from experiencing the real 4-H challenges… project work, club activities and meeting dynamics. Instead, some fans create unattainable goals, add undo stress and create an environment that is neither fun nor rewarding for their child.

Supportive 4-H fans are the individuals we collectively refer to as the 4-H Family. We often talk about how the 4-H experience is to be a “Family Affair”! You too can create a tremendous 4-H Family Fan Affair. It begins with your commitment to integrating these fans into your club programs and your willingness to:

  • Understand who benefits from fan (parents and families) participation and how their support can enhance positive youth development.
  • Assess fan (parents and families) differences and learn how to manage these differences for your members’ benefit.
  • Learn the various ways your club fans (parents and families) can support your membership.
  • Identify fan (parents and families) skills, knowledge, interests and talents to engage successfully in club programming.

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