With a goal of expanding its reach to 20 percent of the state’s youth population by the year 2020, MSU Extension has launched phase two of a statewide 4-H recruitment campaign. Utilizing multiple advertising channels and support by local county efforts, the campaign hopes to reach thousands of caring adult volunteers and new potential 4-H’ers.
The 2015 campaign is an expansion of the statewide volunteer recruitment campaign MSU Extension launched in the fall of 2014 with support from the Michigan Community Service Commission. Though the campaign continues to emphasize the need for adult volunteers to serve 4-H youth, phase two of the campaign will also focus on recruiting new youth members to Michigan 4-H Youth Development. A flagship program of MSU Extension, Michigan 4-H provides 200,000 young people each year with fun and exciting learning opportunities that help them develop critical life skills.
“As we strive to reach new and underserved regions of the state through 4-H, youth and volunteer recruitment are equally important to us,” said Julie Chapin, director of MSU Extension children and youth programs. “We hope our renewed campaign efforts will help to attract new audiences as they see all that 4-H can offer them.”
Supported by endowment funds from various sources, the 4-H campaign will continue through the spring and feature youth and volunteer recruitment commercials airing on television stations across the state. Another key channel of the campaign will be social media sites, where both state and county Facebook, Twitter and Instagram messages will reach out to new audiences throughout Michigan. In addition, county MSU Extension offices across the state will utilize a toolkit of recruitment resources to help develop their own local recruitment efforts based on their unique county needs.
“There’s no better time than now to join Michigan 4-H,” Chapin said. “Whether you’re a young person eager to explore whatever sparks your interest or a caring adult who wants to give back to your community, there is a 4-H program or opportunity waiting for you.”
For more information about joining Michigan 4-H, becoming a 4-H volunteer or Michigan 4-H in general, visit http://4h.msue.msu.edu/.