Capture your clover – 4-H record keeping Part 2: Setting goals
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EmailFall is the time for 4-H goal setting. Use the 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio to record your goals and experiences.
Fall means back to school, and it also means time for 4-H reenrollment. 4-H clubs will be kicking off the New Year and beginning their membership recruitment in the coming months. During the member recruitment phase, parents and volunteers are encouraged to help their 4-H members begin this year’s 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio entries.
The Michigan 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio is intended to help members record their 4-H experiences. It is designed for members to use throughout the 4-H year, from planning out their goals for the year to reviewing their progress and celebrating their accomplishments at the end of the year. Record books that are completed only at the end of the project year may only demonstrate the final product at the end of the year, robbing the member of the opportunity to truly view how much they have learned throughout the year.
To begin each 4-H year, every 4-H member should complete the “Snapshot of My 4-H Year” page. This page will ask the member to identify their overall goals for the year in project areas and personal goals. The following Michigan State University Extension articles may be helpful in formulating goals:
- Setting goals to make your best better
- Goal setting: Are you ready to get it done?
- Learning to set goals is a life skill
- SMART goals help you achieve success
Members should also mark the appropriate boxes for the project areas they plan to pursue during the current year. As the year progresses, members should return to the “Snapshot of My 4-H Year” page to add any additional projects or activities in which they have participated.
In addition, members will find a blue shaded box at the top of pages throughout the portfolio that indicate additional places to record goals related to the specific topic the page addresses. These goals should be recorded prior to beginning the project, event or activity. Pages that request you to record goals include: “My 4-H Project Page,” “My 4-H Education Page,” “My 4-H Activity Page,” “My 4-H Event Page,” “My 4-H Leadership Page” and “My 4-H Educational Contest Page.”
A copy of the complete portfolio can be found at: 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio. Look for additional MSU Extension articles highlighting the Michigan 4-H Member’s Personal Portfolio.
