4-H Animal Science Resource Blog

STEM Connections, know-how & Inspiration

Rutgers NJAES logo
  • Alpaca/Llama
  • Dairy Cattle
  • Dog
  • Goat
  • Herpetology
  • Horse and Pony
  • Poultry
  • Rabbit/Cavy/Small Animal
  • Sheep
  • Swine

Community Matters: Animal Projects and Community Service

May 15, 2018

Every 4-H club is expected to conduct community service projects, though sometimes the logistics of integrating volunteerism into animal science projects may feel daunting.

How can 4-H members in animal project areas feel that they are contributing to their communities?

Public libraries, senior centers or living facilities, daycares, and religious institutions often make requests to the County Extension office, asking for visits from animals for their clientele to enjoy. Make sure your club is aware of the requests being fielded by your county program. Are these opportunities posted on bulletin boards or your program’s Facebook page, or are they emailed out in a monthly newsletter? (If no such resource exists, perhaps your club could take on organizing these community requests as service to your county program!)

If 4-H members don’t own the animal their project is based on, or their animal doesn’t travel easily for visits (such as horse, swine, or cattle), they can still highlight their learning in their animal science area by speaking publicly to interested community groups.

Kiwanis clubs famously welcome guest speakers, and may even treat your 4-H’er to breakfast after they deliver their public presentation on animal science. Other adult community service groups such as your local chapter of the Lions Club similarly invite youth to present their projects at their meetings, and they often make donations to youth development organizations as well.

The benefits of these community-based service projects are many. These projects:

  • Give 4-H members more practice showing their animals and in public speaking
  • Highlight the accomplishment of the 4-H program on a county level or broader
  • Keep your program connected to other agencies in the community
  • Encourage 4-H members to live out the Mission Mandate of Citizenship
  • Help 4-H members feel more connected to the communities they live in

However your animal project clubs donate their time and expertise to their communities, one thing is certain; 4-H’ers can use volunteer opportunities to make the best better!

By Laura Eppinger, Ocean County 4-H Program Associate, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Filed Under: Animal Project Areas, Club Programming Idea, Current Issue, Featured Resource Tagged With: 4H Citizenship, 4H Community Service, community partnership, volunteerism

Content Type

  • STEM Learning
  • Career Profile
  • Field Trip
  • Ask the Expert
  • Club Programming Idea
  • Current Issue
  • Featured Resource
  • Focus on STEM

Statewide NJAES Events

Visit the NJAES Calendar »

sign up for monthly updates

Subscribe by Email or RSS

A Project of New Jersey 4-H Youth Development

New Jersey 4-H provides educational outreach programming for youth in grades K-13 (one year out of high school) through 4-H clubs, special interest programs, school enrichment, afterschool programs, and overnight camping.

Regardless of the subject matter – whether it be science, healthy living or citizenship, 4-H uses a learn-by-doing approach to help youth learn responsibility, community awareness and character development.

New Jersey 4-H Youth Development is a department of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

Copyright © 2023 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is an equal access/equal opportunity institution.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to direct suggestions, comments, or complaints concerning any accessibility issues with Rutgers web sites to: accessibility@rutgers.edu or complete the Report Accessibility Barrier or Provide Feedback Form. | Webmaster | Log in