Community Pride and Community Service

What is Community Service?

A service contributing to the welfare of others on a short-term basis and with limited involvement of 4-H’ers and amount of planning. It is a stepping-stone to Community Pride.

What is Community Pride?

The youth and adults of the community working together to build a better community. A project of lasting duration that promotes learning group action skills and attitudes, a sense of cooperative responsibility throughout the community, accomplishment of needed community concerns.

Projects may focus on improving the environment, community service, and person-to-person relationships.

Ten Easy Steps in the Community Pride process

1. Make a list of possible projects of interest to your club members and that are important or needed in your community. Ways to determine the needs of your community:
   - Divide a circle into different size pie wedges for problems.
   - Draw a picture of what your community is-focus on problems areas
   - Survey or questionnaire to the public
   - Talk to public officials or community organizations
   - Brainstorm ideas-all ideas accepted.
2. Choose a project from the list. Ways to choose a project:
   - Present ideas and vote.
   - Form a committee to narrow projects down.
   - Everyone votes for top 3 –project with the most votes is selected.
   - List possible solutions to problem to determine feasibility.
3. Get approval from parents and leaders and community officials. Keep in mind available time and abilities of members and parents in their interests.
4. Get help from others-identify backers of the project. The more people who agrees on the project or see the need, the greater the cooperation. Identify people and organizations that would not like the project or hindrances to completing the project, i.e., money, time, etc.
5. Develop a plan of action. What? Who will do it? When? How? What is needed? Try to involve everyone.
6. Assign duties and set time schedules.
7. Get needed materials.
8. Carry out the plan, evaluate, change the plan where needed. Have a back up plan if your project gets stumped.
9. Report the progress, success, set backs. Be sure to report progress to local organizations involved through newspaper articles, posters, radio reports, and slide shows.
10. Plan necessary follow up and give credit to those involved in the project.

Community Pride Workshop